Cry Wolf
by petitehero
Summary: Another California Alpha arrives in Beacon Hills to scope out the brewing situation with Deucalion to ensure the future safety of her formerly abused pack. Soon, however, she becomes a lot more entangled with the three residing packs than she planned, as emotional ties arise and alliances are formed as Deucalion and the Darach up the ante and hearts are torn in more than one way.
1. Opening Credits

**A/N : Hey everyone C: This is my first time writing for tw , so please forgive any off characterizations . I 'm catching up with a few other stories , so I 'm gonna try to pace this one at midlength chapters . Thanks for reading ~ !**

Gravel crunched solidly beneath my boots as I rose out of my car. My hand lingered at the top of the open door as I looked around at my temporary residence, breathing in stillness and cold.

Beacon Hills.

I sighed against the night. Pulled a hand through auburn hair.

It felt strange to be in someone else's territory.

To be in a town I didn't rule.

I turned from the sign and leaned against the side of my car, slipping my cell phone out of my pocket.

"Cedric." I said as the call picked up on the first ring. "I've arrived."

"You've been gone less than two full days and already some of the youngest are anxious, Ari."

"It can't be helped. Remind them I'm here to make sure we stay safe."

"I'll be a broken record."

"Leave Post It notes around, then." I closed my eyes. "At any rate, it's weeks until the moon. I'll be home before then."

There was a heavy pause.

"…And we're sure about that?"

"Cedric. Darling. If I need one person to believe in me right now, it's you. I'll be back." I swallowed. "I swear it on Alaric's grave."

"Very well then. Try not to stir up the locals too much, if you can manage that." The hint of a smile was in his voice.

"It's hardly a sleeping town as it is." I smiled despite the underlying grimness of the situation. "And I'm the last person to try and read it a bedtime story."

I shook my hair loose as a wind picked up.

"Make sure Ian gets up for work. He'll use any excuse to neglect his day job while I'm not around."

"Yes, _mom._"

"If only I should be so cursed. You can't see it through the phone, but I'm making a distinctly hideous face right now." I pushed myself off the metal and slid back into the driver's seat. "Good night, Cedric." I turned on the ignition.

"I'm about to go shake up an Alpha."


	2. Battle Plans

**A / N : Chapter length will pick up exponentially when Ari meets the rest of the main characters ~ !**

I pulled into a motel towards the center of town. It was a toss-up between being on the outskirts, and therefore being in a position for the easiest getaway, and being at the heart, where I had easy access to anywhere the action was likely to be.

And knowing the situation going on in insomniac Beacon Hills, there was likely to be a lot of action.

I grabbed by one bag and slung it over my shoulder. It held a lot of the usual luggage suspects: dresses, leather, sundries, and an extra pair of socks. But it also contained little vials of wolfsbane and mountain ash, sealed with kisses. I had too much honour to play dirty, but I could sleep just as well at night for playing strategic.

I tapped the bell at the counter.

Three minutes later I was throwing my duffel at the foot of my bed and taking out a sweater to sleep in.

As I pulled it over my head, I caught the grey flash of my eyes in the mirror, and the scars running in slashes across my sides like gnarled lightning.

Party favours from Alaric.

But that was almost in another lifetime.

I flexed my fingers, and my claws came out. Instead of trapping myself in the past, I tried to anchor myself in the future. One day I was gonna see what would happen if I painted them.

Twenty minutes later I lay in my bed, waiting for sleep to take me.

On the bedside table were the addresses of all the werewolves I knew who lived in town.

Tomorrow afternoon I would drop in on Hale.

Tomorrow morning I would be going to school.


	3. Tip of the Hat

The next morning was clockwork. I pulled on a white lace dress and a black bomber jacket with a list of names in its pocket. Swiped on lipstick and texted Cedric an update.

_Wish me luck on my first day of school, daddy._

Despite being two years older than me, he'd signed off on my transfer as my father weeks ago when we decided enrolling in the local high school would be the easiest way to keep in contact with the younger spectrum of native wolves.

My phone buzzed as I slipped my car keys out of another pocket and left the room.

_Make me proud. And try to limit the damage, pumpkin._

I smirked. I loved how he played along. It would take dire circumstances for me to admit it to him—mostly because I wouldn't hear the end of it—but of all the things that came of this second life, one of the tops was having my best friend shoulder the pack with me.

It was one of the visible stars in the plane of darkness Alaric spun.

When I got to school, I lounged around the hallways, getting a feel for it. It was already months into the school year. But fitting in didn't faze me. I wasn't here to make friends, to have anyone know my name. I was here to make sure my pack was safe. To illuminate the path that would save us from the darkness that was starting to take reign of Beacon Hills.

It would be impossible, of course, to slide by completely unnoticed by the people of interest I _was _here for. I could hide my scent all I wanted, but like recognizes like. They wouldn't deduce what I was by any means. But they would know there was something off about me. Something magnetic.

So I wasn't even going to bother changing how I act.

As I took my seat in my first class, I thought over the names.

_Isaac, Boyd, Scott, Erica. _Those in allegiance with Hale.

_Aiden, Ethan. _Local plants for the whispered 'Alpha of Alphas'.

The names I got from a source in the community. The faces I got from looking up team photos.

They made me wonder which ones were saved by this life. Which ones smiled more after.

And which ones smiled more before.

Most of all, which ones would get me closest to Deucalion.

The teacher broke me out of my line of thought with a crooked finger.

"Class, I'd like us all to take a moment to welcome our latest transfer student." She gestured for me to take it away. I rose from my seat with an air.

Before, this kind of thing made my knees a little weak. Not public speaking, but speaking in front of groups destined to judge you one way or another.

But little bothered me now that I'd crossed paths with people that turned into bigger monsters than humans usually did.

"I'm Ari. Ari Wolcott. From Crescent City, California." I leveled the room with a slanted smile. My gaze focused on the targets in the room. I chose to linger on one of Hale's power players. Scott McCall. "I came down here to see what all the rave is about."

"And I'd be glad to show you." One of the guys hooted.

I turned my attention to him, smirking good-humouredly.

"You wouldn't know what to do with yourself."

I sat down.

Line of communication established.

Now I just needed to get Hale to call in his troops for the formal inspection.


	4. Halefire

After the final bell, I took the steps two at a time, gripping tight on my messenger bag as I examined the address scrawled over a strip of loose leaf paper. I idly wondered if I was going to do any of the homework assigned to me today.

All around me kids were swarming, spilling out of the building and seeking faces. I avoided the most oblivious of them, veering into my path. So many people. Which of them knew the full truth about their hometown?

I was betting on less than three percent.

That's how it was in Crescent City, anyways. I made sure of that.

As I reached the end of the steps, I spotted McCall with a human boy, deep in conversation. Was he part of the three percent?

I don't know if he sensed my sights on him, but something caused him to glance up at me as he crossed the street. I winked, giving him a predatory smile before turning on my heel and breaking eye contact.

It wasn't strictly necessary to play these kinds of posturing games. But I had a limited amount of time to make an impression on the locals before things got thorny with Deucalion. And I wanted their every confidence in my dominance. It was hard enough being a young female Alpha at the head of, by the norm, a fantastically large pack. I couldn't have anyone second guessing my ability.

And so I played.

I threw my bag in the back seat and headed straight to Hale's.

When I arrived, I found the loft just as it'd been online. It didn't look cheery. Or any kind of emotion, really. It was imposing. Solid. But it was some kind of beautiful nonetheless.

I knocked on the door.

It took several moments before anyone answered. At one point I looked up, waiting to see a silhouette peeking through the curtains.

And then the door opened.

And Derek was a female.

I tilted my head, processing. Unknown pack? Live-in girlfriend?

She had dark hair, dark eyes. She was one of us. There was no hiding that.

"I came to see Derek." I was at my full height. Which wasn't entirely impressive, to be honest. I'm at the top end of the petite spectrum. But I didn't ask. Didn't outright demand. I had a feeling leaving any verbal power at her discretion would be unwise.

"Who are you?" Her features were drawn with distrust. An inherent distaste.

"Tell him the Alpha of the Crescent City pack desires his audience." I kept it formal to give the request more weight. Cedric would be splitting his sides over it. Me acting like some high monarch of the wild.

She pulled her lips back in a soundless snarl.

"Cora?" A voice called from the depths of the apartment. "What's taking so long? Who is it?"

She didn't answer. Didn't take her eyes off me. Just stood, defiantly, protectively.

"Is this really a fight you want to pick on your doorstep?" I asked demurely. I might have slipped in a little red-eye. But I would be the last person to sign my name on a petition for sainthood.

Now that she had credentials, she looked even more unhappy. "Come in." She said shortly.

I followed behind her as she led me into the heart of the floor. Derek was coming down a staircase to the left, and paused midstep when he saw me trailing Cora.

"Who's that?"

"You could speak to me directly, you know." I suggested. "I do have the ability to hear and speak."

"She says she's the Alpha of the Crescent City pack." Cora ignored me. Annoying. But I liked how she refused to let my status as a more prominent wolf change her attitude. I respected that, even.

"That's because I **am** the the Alpha of the Crescent City pack."

"What are you, in pre-k?" He narrowed his eyes.

"What is this, 'if you show me yours, I'll show you mine'?" I flashed mine. "This is starting to feel like I'm getting carded. And I haven't even ordered a drink yet."

"How are you an Alpha with a pack, this young?" He looked surprised. Unpleasantly so. He walked down the last few steps. "More importantly, why did you leave Crescent City for Beacon Falls? What do you want here?" He stood imposingly at the foot of the stairs, all scruffy and disgruntled. Adorable.

"Most importantly, what do you want with me?"

"I'm gonna need you to dial up your circle, Hale. It's time for a campfire story."


	5. Rock the Boat

**A/N : A couple more chapters of set –up before the action starts ~ Coming soon to a story near you : Alpha fights :D .**

"Done." Hale said as he put his phone away. He crossed his arms. "Now am I going to get any answers, or do I have to wait for the assembly to start?"

I didn't have a high enough opinion of him to appreciate his sarcasm.

"I'd really rather not have to say things twice."

"So you plan on telling us all the same things?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming you've done a fair amount of research if you know who I am, that I have a pack. You do realize they're teenagers, right?"

"You do realize I'm a teenager, right?" I cocked my head. "Are you implying they're any less capable of being involved in this?"

"Well, as of right now, I have no idea what _this _is. You're just widening your net of trust a little loosely."

"I don't like this, Derek." Cora cut in. "Why are you going along with it?" She sent me a disapproving look.

"Because she's obviously got some amount of weight to throw around, and I want to know where and why it's going to be thrown."

Eventually we moved into the common area. I took a seat far from Hale and Cora, one that left a full view of the window panes, stairs, and doorways.

It took ten minutes of unproductive small talk and posturing before people started filing in. A small parade of teenage boys, to be precise. My eyes narrowed, but I widened them when we made eye contact so they wouldn't feel my misplaced anger.

I was slightly surprised to see the human boy McCall was talking to earlier. I guess he was in the three percent. Poor kid.

"What's this about, Derek?" McCall asked, the peak of the formation.

When they caught sight of me, they did a double take.

"You're that scary, attractive transfer student." The human boy said. "Derek, why do you have the scary, attractive transfer student? Could you at least wait a week before you get her caught up in all of this? For God's sake." I found the familiar way he spoke to the resident Alpha interesting.

Hale ignored him, turning to me. "That's it."

I furrowed my brow. "That can't be." I looked at them. Three boys. One human. And a wild card female. But not the right wild card female. I mentally scrolled back through jpegs. "Where are Boyd and Erica?"

They all looked rightfully surprised. And then there was a deep silence.

"How do you know us?" The one I recognized as Isaac finally asked.

I tilted my head at him. "Because I don't walk into a war zone without knowing all I can about the combatants."

"War zone?" Scott.

"I know about what's happening with Deucalion. I have a reason to be concerned." I didn't deviate. "Where are they?"

"They're dead." The human boy said firmly.

I swallowed. Closed my eyes. "I'm sorry." There were other gaps to fill, but given this new illumination, I couldn't bring myself to push. I turned to Hale. "Right, then. Our paths are destined to cross at some point in the near future, now that we're both tangled up with Deucalion. I just wanted to avoid any unnecessary confrontations between us. So I tip you off to what I'm interested in, do you the courtesy of letting you know I'm in your territory."

"And who exactly are you?" The human boy asked. "What's your deal with Deucalion?"

"Stiles." Scott .

"I'm the Alpha of the Crescent City pack." I frowned. "And I don't know what my deal with Deucalion is yet. I haven't made it."

"You're the Alpha of a pack?" Scott.

"You plan on making a _deal _with him?" Hale.

"I plan on buying time for my pack."

"For what?"

"In case we have to relocate. Hopefully that won't be an issue." I paused. "If you haven't noticed, Deucalion has been chasing whispers and scouting Alphas."

"And what makes you think you and your pack is in danger?"

"Because I have a reputation. Because at eighteen, I am currently the youngest female Alpha in North America." I flexed my fingers. I didn't like opening up to these people. But I had faith in Deaton. "Because my pack is twelve betas strong, and I keep an eye out for three omegas."

Now they stared in open disbelief.

"That's unheard of." Hale said, almost suspiciously. "You're the oldest of fifteen wolves?"

"Oh no. Our eldest is Madge. She's fifty-two."

"Then why are you the Alpha?"

"Well, nobody raised their hand after I killed the last one."


	6. Call Me Beep Me if You Wanna Reach Me

**A/N Coming soon to a story near you : Ari 's den mother side , and the first Alpha encounter . Also, any constructive criticism on characterizations for the main cast is very appreciated ~:D**

There was a bar of heavy silence.

"They have a nickname for me, outside of my home." I made eye contact with all of them before settling on Hale. "Little Red. Have you heard it?"

Hale's mouth tightened, but he revealed nothing.

"Because you're tiny?" Stiles ventured.

"_Stiles._" Scott.

I grinned, something actually friendly, and that startled them. I was just hosting a full on surprise party today. "Partially. Yes, because I'm petite. And because they say I'm not afraid to leave a trail of blood in my wake. I run with it. It's not completely false."

"Did you come here to threaten us or-?" Hale trailed off, looking slightly disconcerted but firm.

"No. To explain myself. So you will decide to not complicate things for me." I looked at the boys. "Are you going to sit anytime soon?"

Slowly, they took seats, giving me a mixture of looks. Cautious. Arrogant. Wary.

"Thing is, my old Alpha coined the term first. Alaric. When he thought he was gonna be my Big Bad Wolf forever." I paused. "That sounds kinda sexual, doesn't it? That's not the right image. He conned us. All of us. He put us through trials to join his pack."

I paused again, to devoid myself of emotion. I didn't want to say most of this. Almost any of this. Not because of my shame or anything to do with me, really. Because I didn't want to expose the vulnerabilities my pack was still coping with, the fears they were still recovering from. But Deaton said it was all or nothing with this pack. And all would make my life easier in the long run. "And when we made it in, he made damn well sure we wouldn't be leaving any time soon."

"He hurt you?" Isaac asked. Everyone looked tense. They didn't know what to make of me. To make of any of this. I didn't blame them. It was, like Hale said, unheard of.

I trekked on, dismissing any pity they might offer. "The best part about people with that kind of power is it makes them think they're invincible. And that makes them weak."

"How did you kill him?" Hale asked, fully invested now.

"I decided I was tired of being hurt. Watching the others be hurt." I licked my lips. "I decided to be angry. Anger can either destroy you or empower you. Lucky it worked out in my favour, aren't I? One full moon, I went at him. It wasn't pretty by any means. Besides being an everliving abusive prick, Alaric was clever. He tipped his claws in a compound of wolfsbane and mountain ash."

"What did it do?" Scott asked.

I raised my eyebrows. "It left an impression."

"And that was it? You killed him and took over the pack?" Isaac asked.

"It just kinda happened. I didn't wipe the blood off my hands and tell everyone to jump to." I let my gaze wander away from everyone. "We were in shock at first. We didn't know how to function, not as a pack, not as wolves. The eldest trained us properly. And then everyone started to look to me for direction. A few of them asked me if they could leave. Once I knew they could control themselves, I let them go."

"You weren't worried about unleashing a bunch of emotionally compromised werewolves into the world?" Cora asked. I turned to look at her. I was honestly surprised she'd been this silent this long.

"We were all emotionally compromised. I wasn't going to get in their way." I didn't like the judgment in her voice. Frankly, I just didn't like her. "They'd been forced to live their lives however someone else wanted for much longer than me. They might not be my betas, but they're my omegas." I looked her dead in the eye. "What do you care. They're not on your turf. And they wouldn't force my hand on mine."

"So where does this leave us?" Hale asked. "What does this mean to us?"

"It means, stay out of my way. I will be potentially riling up all sorts of Alphas here, to get to Deucalion. I will leave yours to you if you leave mine to me."

"Look, your résumé's impressive and all, but you're out of your league."

They'd all been lulled into a sense of security during story time. So they had no way of anticipating my lunge at Hale, which had him up against the wall, claws extended against his throat.

Cora was on me a second later, snarling. Growling, I dropped her in a few seconds, swiping her legs from under her.

I planted my knee squarely in her chest. Put pressure on it, to emphasize how down and out she was. And then I released her and stepped away.

"I was baptized by fire. Being thrown into this life the way I was, I had to grow up fast. To lead a pack of wolves baptized by fire. I had to grow up faster." I turned to Hale. "You have no idea what kind of leagues I am in or out of."

"Is anybody else drastically uncomfortable with how violent this is turning out?" Stiles asked, deadpan.

"To be perfectly clear, Hale, I don't like you very much. You come here, prescribe this life like a cure, you make a few quickies, and you've got your little teenage were-oids fueling your power. You're a predator of the lost. That's not okay by me." I'd been mild before, but my voice right then was nothing but tundra. "Right now you might be the enemy of my enemy, but we will never be friends. I'll be your ally, though, under duress."

Before he could reply, my cell phone rang. I tsked and flipped it open.

"Cedric. Darling. Honestly. You always call at the absolute worst times."

"Mmm. 'Bout that. Are you threatening people already? That's the distinct vibe I'm getting." He purred. The asshole. He knew full well everyone could hear him.

"A vibe you ruined." I glanced around at the group. Cora, who had pulled herself off the floor. I'd definitely made an enemy of her right off the bat. The rest looked like they just didn't know what to do with me.

"I've got to take this." I said nonchalantly. As I walked past them, I called over my shoulder. "I showed you mine, Hale. Next time I expect you to show me yours. Figure out what you're gonna tell me about Deucalion's recent after school specials."

I lingered at the doorway a moment.

"Deaton, by the way. Deaton's my source."


	7. Heat of the Moment

**A / N : I took some liberties with the class arrangements ~**

The next day at school, I was definitely looked at with new eyes. Whenever I crossed paths with one of Hale's, they gave me assessing looks. Like they didn't know whether to be wary, to be hostile, or to ignore me all together.

Each time we made eye contact, I raised an eyebrow. I wasn't going to help them figure it out.

Today I noticed who they associated with outside of their pack. I noticed a boy. Danny. And two girls. Lydia and Allison. I didn't know what to do about them. Deaton had given me the main bullet points on each; I knew Allison was a descendant of the Argent line, a family of hunters. We probably wouldn't be getting matching tattoos or braiding each other's hair anytime soon.

But like I kept telling myself, I wasn't here to make friends. I was here to save my pack.

Come chem, it was obvious we were doing a lab. Since my number one, Scott, was tied up with Stiles, I secured the place next to Isaac. He raised an eyebrow as I sat down.

"Lucky me."

"Lucky you." I agreed.

As the teacher explained the experiment, I examined Isaac. Deaton had left a lot to the imagination, only telling me how Hale chosen each of his wolves. 'A compromising home situation'. Very bare bones.

"Are you going to keep checking me out, or are we going to actually do the experiment?" He asked.

I smirked. "Someone thinks of himself higher than his cheekbones." I tapped my nails on the desk. "I was actually hoping you would do the experiment, to be honest."

"You enroll in school and you're not even going to try?"

"I'll do what I have to do. And I don't have to do this. Because I have you to do it." I stretched lazily, then rested my elbows on the table. "Besides, I already graduated. I'm getting an online degree."

"Why?"

"How else am I going to be on hand twenty-four seven for fifteen emotionally dysfunctional wolves that are dependent on me?" I asked rhetorically, offhand. "You're doing that wrong, by the way."

"No I'm not."

"Pour some out of the beaker, or else later on the compound'll combust."

"What do they do all day?" He asked as he grudgingly washed some of the chemical down the sink.

"They go to school. They have jobs."

"Then how do you take care of the ones at school?"

"Cedric's still enrolled. He's got to keep up with a few things anyway, if he wants to have competitive applications."

"He's going to college, and you're not?"

"One day. When we can afford having him leave." I watched him add in the tertiary powder to finish the compound.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I don't know how these things are supposed to work." I admitted. "I'm going to lead the pack, and then one day, I'm not. We'll go our separate ways. But we'll never really be apart. There's been too much for that." I examined my nails. "I'll pass on the torch. Travel. But it's so far from now, it's not worth thinking about." I snagged a pen clipped on the strap of my messenger bag. "What's the point of thinking in years when you might only have weeks? Maybe days."

He glanced up at me from the glass. "You really think Deucalion is going to force you to kill your pack?"

"No. I think he'll force me to choose, and I will, and he's not going to like the answer." I snagged his notebook. "And then he'll kill my pack in front of me, and let me watch my own heart beat out its last rhythm." I scanned his notes. "You suck at taking notes, man. I can't piggyback off of this." I flipped to a new page and drew a long list of bullet points. He was silent, but his mouth pulled down at the corners. Maybe he was trying his best.

"I know none of you are feeling particularly charitable towards me. That's not what I want, anyways." I scribbled down the equation we were creating, and circled the output. _It's exothermic. _"And I know I stepped on you and Scott unfairly."

"That little quickie remark?" Rhetorical. "Now, I usually don't have a great memory for new insults flung my way, but that was particularly memorable."

"It was aimed at Hale. But still." I printed 'Isaac Lahey' at the top of the sheet, and scrawled my own name below it. Others before self. "You see where I'm coming from, right?"

"Derek's definitely not anyone's Teen Choice Award nominee for best alpha. Maybe even substandard alpha. But he got me to a better place, at the end of the day."

I wanted to say 'and in the thick of all this is a better place?', but from the little backstory I knew, and the way he said it without looking at me, jaw tight, I knew far more than to prod. And the truth of what he was saying was a hard pill to take.

"I see. Maybe he's a diamond in the rough." I ripped the page out. "The very, very rough. So tell me. Where's he leaning?"

"He doesn't want to help you, if that's what you're asking. But he's got faith in Deaton's judgment. I don't know what all went on. But they were on the phone for an hour." Isaac scanned the notes. "He won't help you. But I think he'll tell you what you want to know."

"Do you understand, Isaac?" I asked as he began cleaning glass.

"Understand what?"

"How I could do almost anything?" I stripped away the raggedy mess where the page was perforated. "I almost have no limits, except the ones that I set for myself. If I were so inclined, I have the ability to kill every single person in this room. In under five minutes."

He shot a look at me, not scared, but not sure at all where I was going with this.

"Including myself, of course. Now imagine that. That's a scary thing, but it's also a scary thing to be." I scribbled down a string of numbers on the cover of his notebook. "Now imagine being a scared, scary thing, that has to watch out for fifteen more scared things. And imagine what it feels like to know that no matter how powerful you are, what you've been through this whole time to get here. To know that absolutely none of it is enough for the storm that's coming."

I stood up, grabbed my bag. I slipped him back the notebook, ignoring the weight of his eyes, and the tension in his throat.

"That's my number. It's for Hale, and McCall. So they can reach me." He didn't look down.

"If you'd like to hear more ghost stories, you can use it, too." I winked at him. "After all. You've got stellar cheekbones."

I was out before the bell.


	8. Luck of the Claw

**A / N : Coming to a story near you : black magic , romance , and the pack gets a chance to save Ari ~ !**

Nothing eventful happened the next day at school. I didn't make any efforts to talk to any of Hale's wolves. Nor did I make an effort to approach either of the Alpha twins. In fact, the only contact I had with anyone remotely related to the situation was when I got put in the same group as Lydia for an assignment. She was quite the personality to behold.

But the day was supernatural-free.

It was nearly ten when I got Hale's text.

_Deucalion relocated operation. Don't know where._

_Currently a general threat to my pack and ours. Already killed two of us._

_He's got an uncanny window of knowledge about the person making sacrifices. Eight dead._

_What else?_

I didn't reply. I didn't know all of what I wanted to ask yet. This made things tricky. If I wanted to find Deucalion, I'd have to wait for him to find me or go through his pack. And the sacrifices were more than a bit disconcerting. They weren't news to me. Deaton had informed me of them. But the last number I knew about was six. Two full sets of victim types.

What was waiting out there to choke the light of Beacon Hills?

I decided to find out for myself.

I wasn't hunting for any paranormal spiritualist or whatever. I wasn't stupid. But I highly doubted I fit the bill for any of its criteria, either.

And I refused to be holed up in this motel. The night was mine as much as anyone else's.

The air was surprisingly humid, full of starlight and something that made me feel claustrophobic. I considered escaping into the woods for a run, but while the night was universal, the forest was a lot more personal.

I didn't bother using a map to walk the town despite its being a stranger to me. I could find my way back, and right now the destination itself was irrelevant.

I ended up walking a path that led by the hospital. It was just my luck that I passed by during a confrontation.

I spotted Scott, Stiles, and Isaac standing opposite one of the twins. I was hazarding a guess on Aiden, though didn't know them well enough to tell them apart. All I needed to know was that they were headliners in bad news.

"Look. I just came here so Ethan could visit Danny, okay? For once I am not looking for a fight. Now I'm giving you the chance to turn around before I decide I'm in a different kind of mood."

"You need to stop hanging around Lydia, okay?" Stiles said. "You're either going to kill her, or, if you actually care about her as much as you say you do, you're going to get her killed. Endgame, any little heart with your names inside of it is gonna get broken. And I'm not going to let it be hers."

"Stiles." Scott cautioned.

Stiles made a cutting gesture with his hand to silence him.

"I am giving you one last chance, Stilinski. Back off before we make this something it didn't have to be tonight."

"Maybe it's something that should be." I raised my eyebrows. That was awfully audacious for someone who wouldn't be doing any of the fighting. Did the boy honestly expect Aiden to consent to a pure fist fight?

The thing about people, is they all have a beast inside them, regardless of supernatural status. The thing about their beasts, is that they are often impulsive to the point of stupidity.

Point proven as Aiden lunged for him.

Immediately, Scott pushed Stiles out of the way, rolling with the momentum. When they stabilized, Aiden made a move for his throat.

"Get out of here, Stiles!" Scott shouted, as his features became distinctly more lupine. The Alpha showed in his eyes.

That was a new development.

I felt like Deaton had drawn me a stick figure of everything going on in Beacon Hills, and I arrived to find a series of fleshed out paintings.

Colour me blindsided.

Isaac made a move to join the fray, and then they were a mess of articulate limbs and growls and fury.

This was my moment to decide. They might have the numbers on their side, but Aiden's experience far outweighed both of them combined. Far outweighed both of them combined many times over. And they had Stiles on the fringe as a liability.

If I didn't step in, likely one of them was going to be maimed beyond a pretty healing. Maybe even dead, especially if Aiden decided to abandon all restraint.

I sighed.

This was not how I wanted to spend my night.

My first priority was getting the pure, sugar-free mortal out of the way. He startled when I grabbed his shoulder.

"Ari-? What are you doing h—"

"_Shut up and go._" I growled. "Find his mother and have her on standby."

He hesitated, and I let out a noise of animal frustration. "You are literally a walking, talking liability here."

That, he understood. With a backward glance, he ran towards the hospital.

I turned back to the guys, and threw myself into the fray without another thought.

Surprisingly, they were still fighting on fairly mortal grounds.

Isaac was sprawled out, nursing his head from what I assumed was an interrupted attempt at a knock-out. He looked disoriented. I wasn't laying my money on an assist from that corner.

Aiden was currently on top of Scott, hands at his throat. Of course he'd go for the throat. Always the damn throat.

I came up from behind him and yanked him off of Scott. Caught off guard, he fell back before he could recover.

I gazed down at him, letting my eyes show crimson. "Shouldn't you be playing in the Big Leagues?"


	9. Singing in the Rain

He snarled as he got to his feet.

I tilted my head. "You're up to bat."

He threw himself at me. I narrowly dodge him, shifting my weight. That bought me one strike at his back with my claws. Then he spun around and caught me in the shoulder. Amid the guttural sounds and noise of nails raking against flesh and air, I quickly figured out how we matched up. What I lacked in physical strength, I made up in speed and agility. We were toe to toe on flexibility and range of motion.

And ferocity.

I grunted as he slammed me into the pavement, causing a crack and the feel of lightning going up my spine.

I drew my knees back and planted them in his chest so he couldn't reach any of my vitals. Instead, he clawed at my arms. I ignored the pain, channeling all the force I could into my legs and driving him off balance. I raked my claws against what was exposed of his vulnerable underbelly.

We were covered in ribbons of red, blood slicked across our forearms like crimson rainbows. Sweat was trickling down my spine, laced with my lashes.

It was a little bit funny how playing with death made me feel so alive.

There was a pause when we broke apart, where there was a space between us and the predators inside of us acknowledged one another. The heaviest moment of external silence, that only the beats of our collective hearts pierced. I grinned. It wasn't my nicest.

And then we were grappling, scratching, trying to score each other with our fangs. I managed to pin him on the ground, centering my weight on his solar plexus. He dragged his claws across my side while I got a grip around his throat. I bared my teeth against the sting as gravel bit into the open wound. I applied more force to his windpipe, crushing rather than slicing. Killing him would only set me back.

"Tell me when." I said.

He tried tearing my hands from his throat, and I dug my nails in. I hung on for a few more seconds, despite the pain. Then I rolled off him deliberately, bringing myself into a crouch before I stood up.

I backpedaled leisurely as he got up, tensed forward. We were both breathing hard.

"Can we be done here?" I asked. "I was actually having a nice time tonight until I had to come save these reckless fools." I licked my lips, tasting salt and iron. I don't care what any novel says about bloodlust and the heat of the moment. I would have to be one hundred percent wolf to think blood tasted anything but nasty. "I can't have them dying on my watch when they could still be of use to me. You understand my obligation to interfere, yes?"

"You're going to regret you ever even thought to get in my way." He promised, looking at me through a partial mask of blood and grime. I didn't even want to think what I looked like. Not cute.

"I'm sure." I agreed. "Go tell Daddy Deucalion there's a new Alpha in town who's not afraid of stepping on your tail." I raised my chin, maintained eye contact.

There was a moment of friction between us before we were distracted by the sound of footsteps. The other twin arrived, got one look at the scene, and bristled.

"I smelled blood." He said succinctly. He glared at me. "Do we need to take care of this?"

Aiden was silent a moment. "No. I've got a better idea." Ethan walked to his side.

"Let's go."

"See you in class, Ari." He said casually. "And carry a light on you, yeah? Next time maybe you'll see it coming and won't step into the worst decision of your life. You know, if there was a next time."

I raised an eyebrow as they loped away.

"Daddy Deucalion?" I remembered there were other people out here when Scott spoke.

I shrugged, grinning. "Yeah, it felt kinda skeevy the second it came out." I wiped my bloody hands off on my jeans. "I never claimed to be any kind of witty action hero, did I? You owe me a new jacket, by the way."

He was pulling Isaac up, who now looked like he knew what year it was again.

"Thanks. For stepping in." He said when they were clear. "I'm sorry I wasn't any help. I felt like it wouldn't help things if I interfered."

"There might've been friendly fire. You did perfectly." I assured him.

It was about then that Stiles came running.

"Where's Scott's mom?"

"It took me twenty minutes and two floors of the hospital before someone told me she already went home for the night. She got off early."

"Lovely."

"Oh." Scott said. He lifted his phone sheepishly as we looked at him. "I got a text."

"It's not like she can do anything for us our bodies can't. Mere mortal excluded." I gestured at Stiles.

"Hey!" He said indignantly.

"But if she at least cleaned the wounds out it would take less energy to disinfect." I took stock of my own wounds. Most of them were superficial, with only a few deep gouges. Nothing important was hit. If I relied completely on my own stamina, I estimated under two hours to fully heal.

"Are you alright?" Scott asked.

"I've got much more than nine lives." I replied offhandedly. "Are you all finished here?"

"Yeah." Stiles said, glancing back at the hospital. "Danny's out."

"Stellar. Let me escort you home."

"That's not necessary." Scott said.

"If you want to pay me back, just let me do it. Or else you'll have a debt hanging over you later when you least need one." I wasn't in the mood to go back and forth. After the adrenaline wittled down, I just wanted a shower.

"Fine. We took Stile's car." I fell into step beside them as they started walking.

"So are you gonna tell me why a very human you picked a fight with a very not Aiden?" I asked Stiles, breaking the silence.

He glanced at the ground. "Yeah, well. I kinda lost my position as the most balanced in the gang."

"Lydia must be something special to warrant such a reckless shining knight." I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, removing some of the blood and probably just smearing around the dust.

"She's something." He said. "I'm sorry this is a problem for you now because I lost my cool."

"Aiden? He's not an issue. Maybe if he tag teams with his brother. Maybe."

"You got pretty torn up."

I looked down at the gashes along my forearms, my side. "This is what torn up looks like to you?"

"Well it sure doesn't look peachy keen by any means."

I dismissed him with a wave of my hand. "On the scale of maiming, this is love bites."

"Is anyone else disturbed by that image or-?" Isaac asked.

"I'm sorry. I forgot there were minors present." I said slyly before moving on. "In any event, you did me a favour in a roundabout kinda way."

"How's that?"

"I got my ticket to Deucalion." I smiled. "He's got to be interested in me now."

"That hardly seems like a prize." Scott said as we reached the car.

"This way, I come with reviews." I settled in next to Isaac as Stiles got into the driver's seat and Scott snagged shotgun. It was a squeeze in the back. The options were holding myself rigid to avoid touching or just letting it happen. I was tired and at the end of the day—or the beginning—I didn't really care. Our knees brushed.

"And what do you think he's gonna do, pop some popcorn and call you up to let you know he's a fan of your work?" Stiles asked.

"Okay I was being careful before but now I'm purposefully getting blood on your seats."

When we pulled up to Scott's, we all got out.

"Thanks again for the bail out." Scott nodded.

"Yeah, and not dying. That would have been a drag." Isaac said.

"I aim to please."

"Do you want me to – could I give you a ride to wherever you're staying?" Stiles asked.

"Nah. It's best if I'm solo from here on out." I looked up at the sky choked with stars. I didn't have any bad feelings about walking back under a sky like that. And if something did come at me, I was more than qualified to handle it. I looked back at him. "But thanks. Later." I gave them a lazy wave and turned on my heel.

They had the decency to wait until I was down the street to start talking about me.

I let out a sigh as I made my way home. Blood rushing through my veins and dried on my skin.

I wondered how much more of it I would need on my hands before I left this town.


	10. Colouring Outside the Lines

The next day in chem, I walked over to where Stiles and Scott were already pairing up.

"Dibs on McCall." I said.

"What?" Stiles said. "What do you need him for?"

"Aside from his rugged good looks?" I asked. "I need to talk to him about Deucalion."

"Did something else happen last night?" Stiles asked, suddenly on edge.

"No. But now I'm an official player in this game, and I need the whole 411 on who's playing for what. And it's been made abundantly clear Hale and Scott are Deucalion's prized ponies in this town."

"Do you ever just take a moment, sit back, and think about the way you talk?" Stiles marveled sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes. "Just trade partners with me for a day. Isaac could use the break." I waved at him briefly, aware he could hear everything we were saying.

"You better give me the run down later." He said to Scott, who nodded.

"Yes, yes, you can review the gossip over braided hair and pillow fights tonight."

When Stiles was gone, I turned to Scott.

"So tell me. How is this playing out?"

"Well. Derek's been given an ultimatum. By the next full moon, he has to decide whether he'll join the Alpha pack. Or die."

"And where's his weight at?"

"His weight-? Oh, he's leaning towards…I don't know, really. There's no way he can stand up to the pack alone. So I don't know if 'no' is really an option. Or at least an option he can survive."

"Seems problematic."

"Very problematic."

"To join though, wouldn't he have to kill his pack?"

"Yeah. That's another problem."

"Who is that, exactly?" The dynamics had such blurred lines here.

"Isaac. Maybe Cora." He shrugged. "I don't know, really."

"Have you considered the possibility that Deucalion will insist on you being killed, too?"

"I have." He said soberly.

"And what do you think about that?"

"I think, I…care…about Derek. But I'm not gonna just let myself be led to a slaughter."

I smiled approvingly. "Very well. Have you considered that you might be the hot young thing he's after, and not Derek? Being a trueborn Alpha certainly raises your…market value."

"I've thought about it. That's a bridge I'll cross when I get to it." He paused, brow furrowed. "I won't let myself be killed for anyone. But I won't have anyone dying for me, either."

I found a lot to respect in the kid. If we all survived Deucalion, like I fully intended, he would shape up to be a formidable Alpha.

"Stellar." I turned a page in the textbook between us, scanning it so it would look like we were actually doing a partner discussion. "Now tell me the breaks about these sacrifices."

"There's something out there. The Darach. A…druid, that's gone off the beaten path? We don't know what the sacrifices are for. But we've figured they come in sets of three, and have something to do with all of Beacon Hill's energy fields."

"Two completed sets of three, right? With two leftover?"

"Well. Don't tell anyone, but." He leaned closer, muted his voice as much as he could so only I'd hear. "There's been a third healer." He leaned back. "I found out yesterday."

I shook my head. "And you think that's it? They're done?"

"I don't know. Half of me hopes so, that people stop dying. But if they are done…"

"The Darach's a hop, skip, and jump away from what it wants." I murmured. "Which probably isn't anything close to flowers and world peace, if he's willing to kill in cold blood for it."

"Well, people have killed for that, too." Scott said bleakly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not anyone who's actually got a shot at getting it." I looked off, examining the other groups, looking jaded or animatedly talking about anything but chemistry. And then there was Stiles and Isaac, not making any attempts to look like they weren't trying to listen in.

I tsked at them and turned back around.

"What do you think the pack is gonna do, now that you've moved against them?" Scott asked.

"Well, I know two tall, pretty Alphas who wouldn't shed a tear if my body turned up in the woods." I paused before smiling. "Unless it's because they weren't the ones to do it." I smiled wider at Scott's disconcerted expression. "Oh, lighten up, McCall. You'd think you'd never heard black humour before. I'll be fine. At least on that front. The Twins might be gunning for me, but if Aiden were to admit that I could have easily killed him, his spot in the pack would be in jeopardy. Even more so, if I'd let him kill you."

Scott grinned. "I know this is serious, but…it's kinda funny that he literally owes you for kicking his ass."

"There you go." I laughed, mimed toasting. "Scott McCall discovers the beauty of finding the irony in things."

We actually did the work after that, coming up with a less than pitiful amount of notes to turn in at the bell. We actually wanted to pass the class without scraping by.

"You're mine next week." I pointed at Isaac as the bell rang. He smirked.

We all kinda fell into step as we walked out of class. The grin on my face muted, then turned predatory as I noticed Aiden leaning across the way. Waiting for me.

"Do you want us to stay?" Scott asked, not bothering to lower his voice.

I didn't either. I spoke to him, but kept my eyes on the twin. "No. Just give him dirty looks as you walk by." The lyrics _ain't nobody fresher than my motherfucking clique_ went through my head.

I walked right up to him, leaning against the window ledge. "Got a love note from Deucalion?"

He looked down at me with restrained anger. "I told him about your little stunt last night."

"Glossed over a bit, yeah? What'd he say?"

When he was done speaking, my eyes were bright.

"Tell him it's a go."


	11. Let 's Start a Riot

**A / N : Coming soon to a story near you : another fight , a little love , and a lot of black magic ~ . Thanks for all the input ^ U ^ .**

I was lost in thought, thinking about how things were going to come to a head soon. In less than forty-eight hours, actually.

I played with a vial of a mixture of wolfsbane and mountain ash powders, among other things, twisting it so it caught the light.

It was now or never.

I broke the vial over the end of the bedpost, cracking the glass like an egg. The powder spilled into an ashtray I'd snagged off the bedside table. I poured a trickle of water in it, mixing it in until it ran thin and clear.

I don't know how long it took Alaric to come up with the mixture, or if it was even his design at all. Whosever it was, it was genius. It took binding properties from the ash and the acidity of the bane, so that it would linger in wounds inflicted by the user, but not affect the user so long as it didn't encounter open wounds.

I laced my nails with the stuff, feeling a bit sick with myself, but knowing I needed whatever edge I could get when I went to meet Deucalion. I might have twelve other wolves lending me their power, but it was different than having absorbed twelve wolves' power. It was more fragile. Like walking on eggshells to make sure my pack didn't crack.

When I was through, I flipped through the crappy channels the motel offered, waiting for my manicure a la Alaric to dry.

Before they were completely done, my phone beeped with a text. I sighed, bumping it with my elbow so the resting screen disappeared.

It was Scott.

_Meeting now. About the Darach. Thought you might be interested. Derek's in ten._

So I'd officially earned being in the loop. I smiled.

I pulled on a black leather jacket over my lace romper—a jacket that didn't have tears in it and blood in the creases.

When I got to the loft, Stile's Jeep was pulled up, and another car I didn't recognize.

Cora answered the door. Lucky me.

"Are you lost?" She asked, lips downturned.

"Down, tiger." I said, bored.

"I invited her." Scott appeared behind her, and Cora made space for him in the doorway.

"Why?"

"Because I think she needs to know about what's going on. And we need to know what's going on with her. She has the ability to affect our situation with Deucalion now."

Cora turned on her heel.

"We're either going to have to go at it or go shoe shopping together." I said, watching her leave.

"Whatever doesn't get blood on the carpet."

"Well, I've seen it happen with both."

When we entered the open room, everyone was either sitting or lounging about. Lydia and Allison were there, too, which gave me pause.

My expression didn't change as everyone looked up. I took a seat near Stiles, sitting leisurely, like I was in my own domain. I answered Hale's displeased stare.

"I didn't miss roll call, did I?" I asked sweetly.

_Nice kitty. _Isaac mouthed. The corner of my lips quirked. 

Hale didn't comment. Instead, he began speaking to the group as a whole.

"There's been another sacrifice."

"What?" Allison asked, looking surprised. "Who?"

"A fireman."

I tilted my head, confused. Scott had distinctly said another healer had died. Firemen were more aligned with rescue than healing; to archetype them as healers was a stretch.

"How long ago?" Stiles asked.

"This afternoon." Hale said. "Not even a day after the last healer."

"So is this the beginning of a whole new set of murders?" Scott asked.

"It looks like it. They've all come in sets of three individuals."

"We need to stop this." Allison said, looking intense. I heard she used to have an impulsive trigger finger. Wondered if she was another person I had to add to my watch list, which was turning out to be the whole town.

"How do you suggest that? Look up the Darach in the phone book and ask him nicely?" Lydia said.

"We don't know who's doing this or why. We just know people are dying." Stiles said. "So right now we need to find out who's next."

"So what's a fireman?" I mused aloud.

They all turned to look at me, dumbfounded.

"Did you bring her here to sit pretty? Because it can't be for the sparkling commentary." Lydia said.

I looked at her with absolutely no expression. "Careful." I murmured. I crossed my feet, eliminating the threat in my posture. "None of these archetypes have been career specific." I said offhandedly. "'Virgins'. 'Warriors'. 'Healers'. I doubt 'Firemen' is the next vogue sacrificial category. So what's a fireman, except a fireman?"

"Bold. They face danger." Allison said.

"Brave." Isaac.

"They've got a code of honour. Duty." Hale.

"Yeah, but those are all adjectives." Stiles said. "They're not roles."

"Rescuer." Cora said. "Their main purpose it to rescue people."

"But we've only got one guy to go off of. What do we do, find everyone who fits the bill and tail them until the Darach shows up?" Isaac asked.

"Time consuming." Lydia sung. "Annnnd, pointless. We don't even know if that's the right archetype."

"We can't just sit around and do nothing." Stiles said.

"The sacrifices are speeding up." Allison.

"At least we have more time to figure out what they're for." Hale.

"Derek!"

"He's right, you know." I said, not pleased to be siding with Hale. "Why don't you go splitsies on who looks into potential victims, and who finds out about the fields."

"And where do you fit into this?" Cora asked.

I shrugged. "Approximately nowhere."

"How can we trust you even knowing about this? You could just sell us out for your shot at Deucalion."

"Oh, sweetheart, I promise you. If this was a board game, Deucalion's halfway across Candyland and you're all stuck three steps ahead of start." I laced my fingers together. "Besides, I don't have any motivation to fill Deucalion in on all your blanks."

"How's that?"

"Because he's invited me over for a playdate tomorrow. And I've accepted."


	12. Can 't Sweet Talk a Fire

**A / N : Thanks again for all the support , everyone :D . You 're stellar ~ ! **

There were a few beats of expected silence. The beats I was interested in were the ones from their hearts. I wondered absently who would speak first.

"Rest in pieces." Cora said, deadpan.

"You're kidding, right?" Derek asked. "I mean, obviously the worst punchline ever, but a punchline nonetheless. Because I had kind of assumed you liked living."

I leveled him with an even glance. "We're going to talk. Hardly lethal." I shifted my weight. "The man's deplete of sentimentality, but he's got a twisted code he'll keep."

"Unless he decides your weight as a threat and his regard of you personally doesn't leave him feeling obliged to follow said code." It was more than obvious in the sober, solid lines of his face that his vote wasn't in my corner.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying I have anything but an addictive personality?" I smiled wanly. "I'll take the risk. Besides, he might decide my worth as a prospect is greater than my worth as a threat." I paused. "I'm not sure which would be more flattering."

"What are you going to do if he offers you a position in his pack?" Scott asked.

"Well I'm hardly going to turn it down and rub it in his face." I smirked at how taken aback they looked. "I do have a survival instinct, after all. I'll accept. Relocate my pack." I smiled bitterly at the irony. "We'll run away."

"You do realize this could very well be you RSVPing to suicide by Alpha pack, right?" Derek asked.

"I didn't know you cared." I said patronizingly. Adrenaline circuited my body, making my nerves and emotions feel like live wires. I felt uncomfortable with their scrutiny. I wasn't used to having people question my authority, let alone my authority over my own life. Those days were gone.

"I don't. But since it seems like your survival instinct is running about as well as Internet Explorer, I thought I'd remind you of the fact that if it boils down to a fight, you'll be outmatched."

"Well then I'll die giving them pretty little scars to remember me by."

"What do you have to gain from this? What is so worth putting your neck on the line this recklessly to get a little facetime with Deucalion?" Allison asked.

"You clearly have no idea how wolf politics work. It's equal parts posturing and violence. Half talking the talk, half fighting the fight. I need to show him what I want him to see of me. And I need to let him know I'm not afraid."

"All that's going to do is make him want to teach you to be afraid." Derek said.

"Good thing I left all the strings attached to me at home, isn't it." I said flatly.

"Look, you're going to go in there if your mind's set on it no matter what we say. But do you realize—fully realize—that that is exactly it; you left those strings at home. Now, you've definitely helped us more than hurt us. Some more than others." He glanced at Scott. "But I for one am not going to put my neck on the line for you when you're walking down a road with disaster written all over it in neon paint."

"Derek." Scott said, censuring.

"No. He's right." I said, dismissing him with a flare of my fingertips. "But you're forgetting two very important things, Hale. I never asked any of you to sail with me on this 'sinking ship'. And this is hardly my first time in the ring."

"Have you even ever killed anybody outside of desperation?" Hale asked, with exasperation, but not cruelty.

There was a heavy silence as the others waited on my reaction.

"If you'll remember," I began softly. Deadly, "I didn't kill him because I was desperate. I killed him because I was _done._" I paused, making sure every word was controlled. "And I've got the tally marks on me to remember all the Alphas and Omegas who thought once Alaric was gone, my wolves were sitting ducks. So I'd say, yes, I am quite intimate with the concept of murder."

There was an even deeper silence. Leagues of it. I think they were remembering that despite the lace and pearly whites, my reputation wasn't to be taken as void. I was very much a threat to whoever I chose to be a threat to. And they were realizing that maybe their circle of comradery with me was a lot tighter than they'd thought.

"Well. _That's_ not going to win you any Miss America pageants." Stiles said, deadpan. The tension left the room instantly as nigh everybody gave him a disbelieving look. I smiled a crescent smile despite myself.

"Are we really going to leave her on her own?" Scott asked, throwing a look full of friction at Derek. "After what she's done for us?"

"Ugh. Can we please change the subject? And stop assuming this is going to end horrifically. Although I appreciate the solidarity, I don't need your help." I pointed to Scott, not without feeling. "Or yours." I pointed to Allison. And then around the room. "Or yours, or yours, or yours." Stiles, Lydia, Isaac. "And I d_efinitely _don't need _yours._" Hale. "I only let you all know so if something _does _go wrong, you'll know I didn't just skip town, and if it goes beautifully, I can rub it in your faces at all the most inappropriate moments."

"And what if something _does _go wrong?" Isaac asked, mouth downturned. He looked awfully intense. "Because as far as I see it, that can only mean death. Are you just going to risk abandoning all of those people depending on you? Do you really value yourself that lowly?"

"You think I haven't lost weeks' worth of nights, staying up and thinking about that?" I asked venomously. "You think it was easy coming to the conclusion that even if I did die, I'd still be helping out my pack?"

"You mean that's an option you're _hoping _for?" Allison gasped.

"Obviously it's not my first choice. But it's just as-if not more-workable than me getting an invitation to join the Alpha pack." It was getting to be too much of an exertion, unnecessarily explaining myself to these people. "If I live, then fine, I get a grace period to kill everyone I care about, but instead we run. And I am eternally blacklisted by Deucalion, who will almost guaranteed develop an acute appetite for my blood. But if I die, Cedric takes over the pack. He's more than capable of managing, but not enough to get Deucalion's heart racing." I got up.

"What, you're just going to drop a bomb like that and _go_?" Lydia asked incredulously.

"It was more of a courtesy, than anything." I said blankly. I was not going to let them see any of the emotion beginning to slice its way to the surface. I wasn't prepared to wear my heart on my sleeve like this was some kind of interventional fashion show. "Thank you for keeping me in the loop. I'll see what I can do to help."

"Ari—"

I almost stopped at the doorway. But I knew if I did, I was going to complete this spider's web of entanglements I hadn't intended on.

So I left.


	13. Deuc-ing It Out

**A / N : So excited to be writing the first cute stuff now uwu . Thank you for all the follows and favourites :D 3 .**

I walked along the street absently, breathing in the last rays of sunshine as the sky began to darken. How fitting was it that grey conquered the blue sky as I went to meet my crossroads? Fitting like a choking bodice.

My phone was a minor deadweight in my pocket. I'd had to turn it off hours before. I was surprised at the number of texts and calls I'd "missed". Scott, Stiles, and Isaac. Even Hale. I wondered how far back the boys had had to twist his arms to make him send more scathing discouragement. I wondered how fast Cora crossed the room, trying to get to the phone before he could hit 'send'.

It was interesting, this feeling of being watched over, even if from afar. Hardly guardian angels. But something bittersweet nonetheless. I had people who would die for me, and people who would beg me not to.

But I'd never had anyone who told me 'don't'. 'Can't'.

Not even Cedric.

Nobody except Alaric, once upon a time, and look where that had gotten him.

But letting myself go down that path led to a very tangled wood, where no sun could pierce through even on the brightest day.

It made me ask questions like how hard was it really for me to become a killer? Was I pushed into it? Or did I slide into it like home base?

And could I even begin to chalk it up to the nature of the wolf? Or was I just too fearful of what might have lain dormant in my all too human self?

Very tangled woods. They gave me a quarter life crisis. And tummy aches.

It wasn't long before I reached the address scrawled in ink on my forearm a la Mulan.

Gazing up at the old barn, run ragged by weather and disuse, I had high doubts that this was Deucalion's true center of operations. I had the distinct feeling he had more extravagant tastes than that.

I took a breath. Either I was going to come out of this building. Or I wasn't. I made it that simple.

It was time for 'Little Red' to meet the real Big Bad Wolf.

I didn't knock. While it may come off as respectful, it also came off as whipped. I pulled the door open, allowing the dying sunlight to crown my entrance. I went to the center of the dilapidated barn, watching the dust filter down, scanning the lofts, waiting for Deucalion and his flock to appear.

"So this is the Little Hood I've been hearing about." I spun despite myself, finding what I could only guess was Deucalion's silhouette above. His voice had a drawl that felt like a clawed hand going up my spine. "You don't look to be much."

"Well, I've heard you aren't quite the looker yourself, but you've seemed to make out okay." I gazed up into opaque shades. The Blind Wolf. Little more than a scary bedtime story just a year ago. Well, look at us now. I knew I should probably curb my tongue, but the truth was, being courteous and aggressively agreeable were likely to turn into epitaphs.

"A sharp tongue, too." He caressed the railing, testing its weight. "I've carved out many sharper, I'd wager."

I smiled colourlessly. "I certainly wouldn't bet against you." I checked my peripherals in case any of the shadows got too big. Too opaque. "Aiden tells me you've taken an interest in me. I'm flattered."

"Aiden," He drawled, "Has a short memory for verbatim. I'm on the market, darling."

The move came. A lean, ochre haired woman slipped out of the shadows like slipping off a form fitting dress.

"And this is your appraisal." Deucalion finished.

The woman circled me leisurely, eyeing me, unimpressed. "This is Little Red of the Crescent City pack? This is the Alpha slayer?" She stopped. "You're positively _precious._"

"What is this?" I tilted my head, keeping eye contact with her as I addressed Deucalion. "You want me to put out before you've even bought me dinner?"

"Sweetheart." The woman purred. "You might just _be _dinner."

"I've heard good things about you, Ari Wolcott." Deucalion said. "By which I mean, powerful things. Useful things. But actions talk louder than words. And I'm not convinced you're even worth my words." He settled back, leaning on his cane. "Survive this, and then we'll talk." The corner of his mouth lifted in a bemused, entirely self-assured smirk. "I'll even supply the candlelight."

He stopped talking then. And I realized he meant for us to fight. Potentially to the death.

_Well, this brings peer assessment to another level, _I thought. I felt numb to the thought of dying. This was my time to show them just how capable I was. I was, after all, a survivor before all else. An avenger. Today I would either live or die for my pack. Either way I would fight for them, with every fibre of my being. I drew on that thought for strength, and pooled my power.

"So what syllables are going on your headstone?" I asked nonchalantly. "And what's your favourite flower?"

She smiled fiercely, something like approval. "Kali. You'd better hope you're all that you think you are, little girl. Because if not, there won't be much left at all except scraps for your casket."

I lifted my shoulder in a careless shrug, spread my hands gracefully, palms up.

"Let's see."


	14. Out of the Fire and Going Down in Flames

**A / N : Please excuse my inexperience with fight scenes uwu . tw : mild gore . Coming up next , we get to see both Derek and Ari 's den mommy sides . Thank you for the continued support and reviews ~ ! You 're rockstars ~ ^ U ^ .**

Kali charged me, gauging for my face. I could tell it was just a move to test the waters, to start our chain reaction. I stepped back and she came forward. We began a dance then, fast-paced and not suitable for any prom except maybe Carrie's since that one already had its fair share of bloodshed. Claws made nicks along the both of us as we locked crimson irises and bore crimson stripes.

But nicks weren't going to make or break this fight.

Kali took a risky move, going for an underswipe that left the back of her neck vulnerable as she went for my stomach. Her claws dug in deeper than the marks before it as I scored her back. She darted away, recalibrating her strategy as blood began to drizzle along the barn floor.

"Do you even know what you're trying to get into here?" She asked. "It's more than power and petty dog fights. If you are in it, you are in it until your bones break and your blood runs out."

"It's really starting to irk me how condescending this town is." I said. "Do you think I got to be called the Alpha slayer by playing with dolls and climbing trees? I'm not a kid. When I was seventeen, I was popping pain pills to get through the day while some other girl was being a dancing queen."

"Your problem," She began as she feinted in one direction and came at me in another. I anticipated it, catching her in the shoulder though I couldn't avoid taking a slash in my side, "from what I hear," she channeled force into putting me off balance, taking the brief opportunity to bring me to my knees, "is you've got too much _heart_." She settled her weight over me, claws tracing cuts through my blouse. "I could fix that for you. It'll be a little crude. A little lethal. But it gets the job done." She dug her claws in then with no abandon, and I cried out a snarl.

I got a hold of her throat. This wasn't a sparring session, or a snarking session. It wasn't even dancing with death. It was a fight to the finish. Simple as that. And neither of us were weak kneed at spilling blood.

I tore.

Immediately, Kali growled, rolling off of me. We went back and forth, parries and blows. Blocking, striking, steeling ourselves.

I don't know how long it went on. Every second was filled with adrenaline and sweat. I couldn't feel the sting of the cuts riddling my body. Deucalion could have become a Transformer and rolled out for all I noticed. Everything was about the fight.

And then in an instant, where sunlight shone pale on our faces, where everything was silent but for our hearts pumping electricity.

We collided.

Kali's claws ripped and burrowed through my side as I barreled mine into the base of her throat.

Her cries were a tangle of wet noise and ferocity. Mine were made of something similar.

The pain was excruciating. There was no stemming the flow of it with endorphins or adrenaline. It in fact consumed me, and for a moment I was only Agony.

We collapsed next to each other, breathing hard, gasping amongst the dust. Blood painted the floor in splatters and abstract designs, inescapable and dark. I definitely had another veteran to add to the pile of ruined leather jackets.

Once I could gather any semblance of thought and presence, it took my entire will to focus. Glancing at the wound, I knew it would be fatal. I'd bleed out before it could heal.

Unless I pulled on the pack.

_I'm so sorry. _

I drew on their collective strength, just enough so the wounds would start closing.

I glanced at Kali, still convulsing slightly on the ground. I'd got her good, but didn't tear out her throat. She was trying to staunch the flow, hands clasped at her neck.

"Finish it."

My gaze snapped up. Deucalion was standing just a foot away, balanced on his cane. Waiting.

"I didn't think you'd need Spark Notes to understand the stakes here. Kali knew." His voice was impassive. Coiled through the air like a snake.

I looked back on her broken form, blood trickling out of her nose and mouth. She was eerily _there, _her predator eyes locked on mine. The amount of will it took for that impressed me. I had something for her, an estranged cousin to compassion.

I wouldn't put her down like a common animal. Character aside, she was too refined of a creature for that.

"No." I said.

"Do it." She rasped.

I ignored her. Looked straight at Deucalion. "You gave me your terms. I never signed a dotted line."

His mouth curved downward. He didn't like being denied.

"You do understand I could finish the job myself, and take you down with her?"

"Maybe so. But she was a strong opponent. The pack would benefit more from her life than her death." I licked my lips, channeling the strength of my true pack into keeping myself composed. "Even if she's knocked down a few pegs."

There was a heavy pause as Deucalion decided his words. I waited, tense. There was one thing about dying in the heat of battle. There was another to being executed.

He closed the distance between us.

"Very well." He bent down. Every muscle tightened as he leaned to speak into my ear.

When he was done, I lay there.

"You can go now, Ari." He dismissed me, walking to tower over Kali.

I dragged myself first to my haunches, then slowly creaked up. My spine popped. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming. The effort and power it took told me just how ragged my side was. I couldn't damage check here, though. I had to clear the area with my head held high.

It was very possible I was killing myself to keep up appearances.

I kept my face blank, my stomach taut, bracing myself as I took those first jarring steps. I clutched my sides, and my fingers slipped in much farther than they ever should. I stopped breathing.

I was nearly out of the woods when Deucalion's voice carried one last judgment across the barn.

"Alaric was a fool to burn you down. But would you have become a phoenix otherwise?" He sighed airily. "I'm going to have to break you in, now aren't I. Alaric had no idea what he was handling."

I made it three streets over before I collapsed.


	15. Ring Around the Rosary

**A / N : Setting up a lot for the next few chapters / mini arc uwu Hope you 're all having a delightful day ~ ! **

I struggled to get my phone out of my pocket. I quickly dragged my fingers across the keys as blood completely saturated my outer clothes. I gave up my last syllables of prayer as the dial tone lapsed.

"Derek. Pick me up on Ash and Wright." I gritted my teeth as the shock began to set in. "Please."

The phone slipped through my fingers. I fell against the telephone pole for support. With shaking hands I drew back the shredded jacket, too black for the blood to show up. Underneath was a mess of crimson and gouges. The moment I saw muscle and bone I let the material fall back with a slick noise and closed my eyes.

The only thing keeping me going was the power I'd taken from my pack. And given how I took it all in a single burst, they were probably all lying unconscious somewhere. I regretted it, but it was what I needed to walk out of there with my head held high, and to boost the healing process so that the wounds would be less dire.

The black blood made me wonder if I was too late.

The black in the back of my field of vision made me wonder about nothing at all.

When I came to, I was weightless. At first I thought after all I'd been through, I'd finally done myself in. But as lights blearily pierced through my slitted eyes, I realized I was being carried.

"Derek?" I slurred.

"I've got you." He said grimly. I heard a car door open. An engine running. He draped me in the passenger seat and didn't waste any time in getting to the driver's.

"You really messed up, you know." He said.

"Actually, things went a lot better than I could have asked for." I mumbled. "Isn't that just screwy."

He was silent as we pulled away. "I think I'll take some convincing on that."

"When I'm up to it…." I had to pause to cough. It was wet. But I didn't have the time or capacity to think about what that meant. "…I'll bake cookies and we can make a whole bedtime story out of it."

We hit a bump in the road, and the fact that the jostling didn't affect me, that told me the state my body was in. And that was bleak.

My eyes fluttered closed. This time I welcomed the dark with open arms.

"Take me to Scott's." I murmured.

The next time I woke up, it was to the sound of voices laced with equal amounts of frustration and anxiety as they argued.

When I managed to pull myself out of the blankness, the voices diminished and all eyes were on me.

Scott, Isaac, and Derek.

"Ari." Immediately, Isaac turned his back on Derek and came to stand by the side of the bed.

"I'm sorry." I said, as simply as I could.

"Don't be sorry." He said, voice rough. "Be better."

"Working on it." I coughed and turned to Derek. "Thank you."

"What happened back there?" He asked, face lit with anger, but there was something else underneath it, too. Something less furious but equally fierce.

"I need to call my second, first." I shifted, and bit my tongue before I could cry out. I couldn't stop the shudder, though. The numbness had most definitely worn off. The pain was indescribable. People use that to talk about birth and the dentist. That's not pain. That's an inconvenience. Pain is shredded muscle and exposed nerves. Pain is bones seeing daylight.

"Your phone's been ringing nonstop. I had to switch it to silent." Derek pressed it into my hand.

I trembled through my contacts as I shifted agonizingly against the pillows I was propped up on. Cedric answered on the first ring.

"I'm alive." I said simply and as solidly as I could manage. The strained voice didn't help my case any.

"I see." He said, on edge.

"I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. I was in a worse way." I could hear noise in the background, shrill voices.I had no idea how much time had passed. Hours? Enough that people were back on their feet.

"And now?"

"Well, I'm not going to be doing a Russian ballet any time soon." I began to smirk, but it turned into a grimace. I briefly glanced at the guys, distantly aware they could hear everything. "How is everyone?"

"Scared. I've been fielding a lot of panicked calls. Everyone dropped, Ari. Except me."

"I'm sorry I blacked them all out. It would have been easier on them if I pulled you in, but…"

"You needed me to field all the panicked calls."

"I needed you to be the leader you are." I paused, and heard a keening in the background. "Who's that?"

"Annabelle. She nearly broke down my door. She's never experienced anything like this before. She's not calming down." He took a deep breath. "She wants to talk to you. Which is the last thing you need."

"But the first thing she does. Put her on."

"Ari. You need to rest."

"If I take care of this, it's one less problem for you to deal with. I owe you that. And her."

He sighed in resignation, muttered something about my obstinacy crowned with a few choice swear words, and then Annabelle was on the line.

"Shhh." I murmured as softly as I could.

"We thought you died, Ari." She wailed. "I was just walking along the hall and then it was black and I thought I was dying then I was alive and we thought _you_ were dying."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, sweetheart. There really wasn't a way to drill this like for a fire. There's no stop, drop, and roll."

There was sniffling. "How bad is it?"

I didn't even glance down. I could feel it. Sweat laced across my forehead, and it felt like creatures were gnawing at my side.

"It's on the mend."

"Are you lying to me?" Annabelle was one of our youngest, yet despite the abundant naivety she had a way of being awfully straightforward and insightful.

"Would I lie to you?"

"You lie to me all the time."

I pressed the phone to my chest as I underwent a sudden coughing fit. I felt a slick of blood trail down my chin in a crimson line. Scott and Isaac made impulsive steps forward. I closed my eyes and smiled. "Uno and poker don't count, sweetheart." I swallowed. "I need to sleep now, okay? Will you help Cedric, now, with the others? Let them know I'm alright. Let them know I'll be home soon."

"Okay." She sounded unwilling. "I love you, Ari."

"I love you too, kid."

As soon as I dropped the phone, Derek made a move to speak.

Before he could say anything, though, I turned my head, grabbed a mouthful of pillow, and screamed.

Immediately, his hand was on mine.

My eyes stung with blood, sweat, and tears, but I refused to let those spill over.

He gripped my hand tight and I let out a shallow gasp as relief began to pour through me. I squeezed back, just once. As thanks. I had a lot of rethinking to do about him.

"You've got a high tolerance for hiding pain." Derek, voice raw.

"I've got a low tolerance for causing my pack any." I replied hoarsely. Swallowed. "Go on. There's nothing any of you can do here."

"Were you lying to her?" Scott asked. "About getting better?"

"I glossed." I sighed, as if it was draining the last of my spirit out of me. It nearly was. "But I didn't lie." I released my grip on the sheets. "I just need to ride this out."

I turned my mind away from my ravaged body and focused on what was important. The pack was safe. Currently, all of our packs were. And now I could sleep. Real sleep, not a sleep of shock or exhaustion.

I could take a break from being the Crescent City Alpha. I could be nothing but REM.

Before I let myself nod off completely, I let them know.

"I bought us time. I got my invitation."


	16. The Morning After ( the Night Before )

**A / N : This is where things with the Darach are going to start going pretty AU uwu Mostly a fluff / gateway chapter ~**

The first thing that registered after '_I am awake_' was '_I am in pain_'.

It felt like melted wax was dripping in my wounds, a sensation that was warm and thick and unbearable. I stirred, reflexively flexing and gripping with my claws in an attempt to brace myself against it.

Except the fabric I dug into had something else underneath it. Something compact and alive.

There was a low intake of breath, and then I felt the shape shift and clasp a hand on my upper forearm. The grip wasn't tight, exactly. It was solid. Comforting.

Instantly, the pain ebbed away, and I settled back into the warmth, sighing. Where the grip was one kind of therapy, the sound of another heartbeat so close was another. But as the pain filtered away, my concentration grew stronger.

One second I realised my face was buried in someone else's collarbone and the next I realised why there really was no reason that should be happening in Beacon Hills.

Which was a crying shame because it was a damn well architected collarbone.

I pulled back, disoriented, working until I could lean on my elbows.

"Isaac?" I asked, confused. He didn't make any move, just sat back calmly, looking up at me with those clear eyes. There were tiny slashes in his grey V-neck tee where my nails had gone through. "You've got some _serious_ splainin' to do."

"Don't freak out. Nothing happened. Pinky swear." He promised. "You were in a lot of pain, and you came to a couple of times but you weren't really lucid. Scott's mom didn't want to give you anything without your consent, so Scott and I have been taking turns sitting with you and playing morphine."

_Oh. _I hadn't thought there was anything sketchy going on. But just hearing how completely on the other end of the spectrum the reality was, my chest felt constricted and my cheeks felt as if they'd absorbed the sun.

I wasn't used to being nursed.

I glanced at the real sunshine slipping through the window.

"Did you stay here all night?"

"Well, yeah." Isaac ran a hand through his hair, looking down. Blush was becoming on him. "I had the night shift. Scott and I played rock paper scissors for it, and he actually won, but his mom wasn't too thrilled with the idea. She even chaperoned in here for a few hours, before I convinced her to drag herself to bed."

I looked down at myself. I was wearing a shirt that hung a size or two too big on me, and obsidian pajama bottoms with little yellow ducks on them. I lifted the hem of the shirt and found bandages wrapped snugly around my waist, with only the shadow of blood peeking through.

"She…?"

"Yeah, she did all that. Cleaned you up. Started snapping at us when we didn't leave the room quick enough. It was hard not to stare." He confessed. Before I could get any skeevy ideas out of _that _he continued, "Your skin was just starting to knit itself together again, and there was all this muscle and—It was pretty gross." He finished cheerfully, grinning. More than half of me wanted to punch him, and the other part wanted to keep that look on his face for as long as possible.

_Down girl. You did not come here to crush on the natives. _I had a pack to look after, and as a full time Alpha werewolf-level soccer mom, I did not have the time or luxury to be luring in one of Derek's charges.

It helped that I was distracted by being somewhat speechless at the actions of Ms. McCall. I hadn't even met Scott's mom formally and had myself brought to her doorstep on the brink of death. And her response was to peel off my bloody clothes, clean my wound, and literally give me a shirt off her back.

"I shouldn't have come here." I shook my head, plucking at the fabric until the little ducks crinkled. "I should have asked Derek to take me back to the motel."

"And possibly bled out? You weren't in any shape to take care of yourself."

"I would've been fine." I said. It sounded perilously close to a lie, so I added, "It would have hurt much more, and longer, but I could've done it."

"You're welcome." He said simply, eyebrows raised.

I smiled slightly, ceding. "Thank you, though. It was much more…_pleasant _this way. And sorry about the nicks."

He looked down at his shirt. "Oh this isn't the worst of it." He smirked at my expression. "You kick in your sleep." He finished smugly.

"Yeah, well, you probably did something annoying." I straightened my hair with my fingers. "Like talked. Or breathed." Or smirked like he knew he was gold medal cuddle material and had collarbones that could smite an angel. The prick.

"Annoying enough that you couldn't help but snuggle up to me?"

I shot him a look that was in a whole different galaxy from ladylike. But then my expression was neutral, and I brushed him off.

"Don't think you're too much of a special snowflake. I'm just used to sleeping comfortably with a lot of people. You kind of end up all over the place." The second it came out of my mouth, I realized how incredibly off that sounded.

He raised an eyebrow.

"My pack." I explained. "We have sleepovers during the full moon. The oldest ones get their own rooms, and the rest of us kinda just pile into mine."

"Boys, too?"

"Jealous?" I winked. "Yeah, boys, too. But it's not like…_that_." I shrugged. "We're pack." I looked down, blushing. "I guess it's kinda animalistic, but. It's nice to be together like that. I call it kitten pile therapy. The full moon still has a lot of bad blood for a lot of them. And we all still have nightmares." I paused. "It's kind of embarrassing, but I actually read and watched pretty much every novel and film that had werewolves or wolves in it. To get an idea of what packs are like, or what they should be. I just kinda picked out the parts I thought were best."

Isaac laughed. "Really?"

I looked away. "You think it's stupid."

"No." He said, sober. "I think it's devoted."

Scott knocked at the doorway then, looked between us.

"Catching her up to speed?"

Isaac glanced back at me before looking up at Scott. "Yeah."

"How are you feeling?" Scott asked.

"Uncomfortable. But healing quickly. Thanks to all of you."

He nodded, smiled a quick grin. "Good. You had us worried there for awhile." His smile faltered. "Look, I know you're still getting back on your feet and all, so I understand if you don't to…What I mean is, Derek wants to know what went down yesterday. And, well, so does everyone else, including us."

"Right." I said. "I said I would tell him, anyways. And you all deserve to be in the loop." I pulled the sheets back. "Is your mom around, by the way? I'd like to get in a few words before we go."

"Yeah. Today's her day off. I'll go see if she's up." He left.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Isaac asked, brow furrowed.

I tested my side lightly with my fingertips. There was an ache, like being punched in a bruise. The effect of Isaac's pain transference was still strong. "It's fine. Call me peachy."

"Just because you can't fully feel an injury doesn't make it any less of an injury."

"I'll take that into account, Dr. Oz." I said patronizingly. I thought a moment. "You wanna know a secret?"

He leaned toward me looking expectant, if confused, and I kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad you're the one I got to have a sleepover with." I whispered conspiringly.

Okay I was a soccer mom, but I was allowed to scope out the scene, dammit.

And it's nigh impossible to not get some kind of feeling in the pit of your stomach when someone stays up all night for you to sleep easy. His bright eyes couldn't distract me from the light lavender circles underneath.

I leaned away before he could react and got out of bed. I snagged my cell off the bedside table.

I checked the screen, cringed, and slipped it in my pocket.

"What?"

"I don't even want to think about all the texts and calls I have to answer in the next few hours. And all the things I have to do before we meet up with Derek." I sighed.

"It's a tough life." Isaac said, half mocking.

"You know what? You can just mute yourself, Isaac Lahey." I replied, turning back to him. "You're not the one who has to convince Scott's mom you're a strong, independent Alpha slayer while wearing duck pajamas."


	17. Caffeine and Queens

**A / N Another gateway chapter uwu Thank you for all the reviews , follows , and favourites ^ U ^ ~ ! Hope your weeks are going marvelously .**

When we got to the kitchen, Scott's mom was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee. Scott was standing next to her. She looked up at me with tired eyes.

"So you're the travelling Alpha the boys have been telling me about." She gestured for me to sit across from her, where a steaming mug was waiting. "You make quite the first impression." She pointed at the boys and made a little motion. "Out. Girl Talk. You're not invited." They looked like they were thinking of protesting, but she raised an eyebrow and they put up their hands, retreating.

"As do you." I said approvingly, pulling out the chair and sinking into it. I sat proper. I couldn't let failing posture let her chalk me up to just another teenage kid that got thrown out to sea in all this supernatural mess. No matter how true that was at one time, I hadn't been that girl for over a year. There are some parts of you that get washed out along with the bloodstains. "Thank you. You helped me out of a bad place."

She nodded without saying anything. Not dismissively, but like it was granted, and that said even more about her character. "You've got quite the reputation tagged to you, too." She took a sip. "To be frank, I'm not entirely sure I want you around my boys."

I couldn't blame her. Even when I was trying my hardest to keep our lines straight and pointed in opposite directions, our paths kept crossing. And that could prove to be a very volatile thing, given neither of our paths were particularly full of wholesome family fun. I took a drag of my coffee absently, making sure none of the tightness in my stomach showed on my face.

"I understand." I said simply. Diplomatically. "Like I said, thank you for your time and hospitality." I drank some more of the coffee, tasting bleak bitterness despite the ample amounts of sugar. I guess she assumed I couldn't handle big kid coffee. "If you ever need anything I can provide, Scott can contact me in Crescent City." I made a move to get up.

"Whoa, slow down there." Ms. McCall said. "We've talked less than five minutes. I wasn't banishing you out of the queendom. I'm just saying, I'm a new player to this game, and I need to know all the stakes before I decide if it's safe for you to be under my roof. You know, 'let the right ones in'. And given the craziness that's taken over this town, you're going to have to be about as right as a ninety degree angle."

My lips quirked. That was a concept that was very much in my territory. In fact, it was practically in my bloodstream at this point.

"So what do you want to know?"

"I'm hearing things from every corner right now. You come here about a week ago, looking for a get out of jail free card for your pack. On the one hand, you've saved my boys at least once. On the other, you're getting cozy with Deucalion, who is our resident Bad Guy. And then there's this whole serial murder thing that doesn't do my heart any favours." She looked at me straight in the eye. Her tone wasn't accusing—she was reserving judgment until I spoke for myself. I wondered if the boys realized they had a true Alpha of Alphas harbored under their roof.

"All true." I shrugged. "What are you asking? If I'm more of a Black Widow or a Catwoman?"

"I'll list it out for you, Ari. I want to know whose side you're on, what you're willing to do to get what you want, and if the risk of having you near my boys is worth it." I appreciated that she was a straight shooter.

"I'm on my pack's side." I said honestly. "I'll help out the boys where I can, but I'm sure they've given you the whole sordid backstory. I have fifteen lives attached to me. I don't have time to play games, not really. I'm willing to do nigh anything, and that should scare you, because it damn well scares me." I paused, taking another delicate sip of coffee. This time it tasted like strength.

"I don't know if I'm worth it. This could go a lot of ways. On my own, I'm a force to be reckoned with. Now that I have something to prove to Deucalion, though." I shrugged. "I don't think he'll ask me to do anything to Scott, at least. Nothing permanent, anyways. He's got an insurance policy. Isaac…well, everyone else is fair game. To be plain, I think Deucalion would rather use me to keep tabs on them. Right now I'm sidelined for all intents and purposes until I kill my pack, anyways." I'd said more than enough, so I sipped my coffee leisurely, letting her take it all in.

"Fair enough." She said after pensively drinking her own coffee and assessing me. She folded her arms. "Would you like to stay here?"

"What?" I asked, looking at her blankly. This was far from the direction I thought we'd be going. One second it's the McCall Inquistion, the next it's an invitation to crash in her home.

"I didn't stutter." She said, amused. Her face sobered. "From what I can tell, you're not gonna just roll over and do whatever Deucalion tells you. You're a manipulator, but so far it seems like you've been using your powers for good. You put your neck on the line for my son when you could have just as easily walked away without losing on either side. And to be honest, it can't hurt to possibly have an eye on Deucalion and an established Alpha in the house."

I smiled wider this time. "You should have been a general."

"Well, I'm commanding officer of this cup of coffee and this house and that's good enough for me." She smiled back. "Boys!" She called. She turned back to me. "Fleeing the country can get expensive. Why don't you have the boys take you back to where you're staying, get your stuff, and get checked out as soon as possible?"

I nodded, still pretty taken aback. This was not even a pale reflection of the Beacon Hills experience I'd imagined.

Isaac and Scott appeared in the kitchen. I could tell they'd been eavesdropping. It was hardly a temptation worth resisting given their naturally enhanced ability to hear.

"Guess I'll be staying with you. Lucky ducks." I said, then pulled at the leg of my pajama bottoms and winked at the boys.

"Ground rules." Scott's mom held up a finger, speaking with authority. "You're teenagers, which means sometimes you have a natural chemical common sense deficiency, so I'll spell it out for you. No one sleeping in each other's rooms. Ari, as long as you're here, no bringing guys home. If you're going to be doing any of that smooching stuff, you're gonna have to sneak out and work for it like everybody else. I might be a cool mom, but I'm not that cool. And. Ari specifically." She got up from the table, carrying her mug to the sink.

"Try not to get blood on the carpet."


	18. Heroine Fever

**A / N : Coming soon to a story near you : ruining poor Derek 's morning , full moon mayhem , and a brush with the Darach ~ ! **

When we pulled up to the motel, the boys exchanged a heavy glance.

"This is where you've been staying the whole time?" Scott asked skeptically.

"Motel sweet motel." I nodded, taking the lead.

"It's a little bit…sketchy." Scott said.

"As in, sketchier than a drawing class." Isaac said disdainfully.

"Well, I'm living off stolen bank. I can't exactly spend it all in one place." I shrugged. "Besides, I pity the idiot who would try to mess with me here. Or anywhere, for that matter. I may have gotten banged up, but at least I can honestly say 'you should've seen the other guy'."

"Wait. You're living off stolen money?" Isaac asked, looking taken aback.

"It's not like Alaric left a will. Don't be so judgy. We all decided to leap frog over the moral hurdle, given what he put us through."

"How'd you even get access to it?" Scott asked.

"Cedric. He's the techie in our pack, as well as my second. He's brilliant." I slipped my room key out of my back pocket. "Alaric had all his bases covered, really. Money and a power source of skilled, scared people. Marvel should have hit him up to star as a villain." I walked along the wasted sidewalk, stopping in front of Room 27. There was a moment of organic silence, where the only noise was the metal of the key meeting the lock.

"So why did he choose you?" Scott inquired. "If you don't mind me asking."

I glanced back over my shoulder, smiling wryly. "Because of my sparkling personality."

I could tell by the looks on their faces and the tension in their frames it was one of those moments where they didn't know how to take me. Good. It was a very useful battle strategy to be something of an enigma. I held the door open, gesturing with my chin that they should go first. I closed the door behind us.

"In all seriousness," I said absently as I went to the side of the bed and pulled my duffel from under it, "Alaric did choose me for my personality. I was his lure." I crossed to the closet and began pulling out hangers cloaked with jackets and lace and jeans.

"His…lure?" Isaac asked, not comprehending.

"Yes." I stripped the clothes off the hanger, folding them meticulously before patting them down into the bed of the open duffel. "He chose me for my people skills. I was the spearhead for recruitment. 'Best Personality and Resident Smooth Operator for Recruiting Wolves to Be Abused'. Imagine if that's what they tagged to the end of my name in the yearbook." I said it lightly, but the swallow I took was heavy.

"Ari…"Scott began.

"There's an Omega. Her name's Trish. One of mine." I picked up a shirt, folded it, and refolded it, frowning. "She was the older recruiter. Alaric wanted a little diversity in the casting. She could never forgive herself for what she did, dragging people into this life. Coaxing people into following her into the woods when she knew just the kind of beast that lurked out there. That's why she's an Omega. Not because she didn't want to stay with us, but because she couldn't overcome the shame and guilt of looking us in the eyes every day. It's her penance."

I picked up a jacket. I had to keep my hands busy, had to be doing something. "Me, on the other hand. I can't hide in the woods. Well. I would have stayed either way, given I pulled out the base of the pyramid and was responsible for building it up again. And the hardest part isn't even facing them every day. It's loving them so much, and after all I've done, having them love me back. I've got three kids I'll have to answer for when I die, for condemning them to this life."

"Ari." Isaac murmured.

When I met his eyes, there was a ferocity in mine. "I'm telling you this because in the coming days, things might get very tricky around here, and I can't afford to have you two doubting me."

"Did Deucalion ask you to do something?" Scott asked, face appropriately grim.

"Not yet. And I certainly hope not. But this isn't a game where hopes count for much." I finished packing the last of the jackets and crossed to the small dresser.

"Well, you've got our vote of confidence." Scott assured me.

"Good." I threw in the odds and ends I had around the room before circling back and selecting a flannel shirt and lace shorts out from the top. "I'm gonna change, then we can head out."

I slipped into the bathroom, closed the door softly. I tugged off the shirt and athletic shorts Ms. McCall had let me borrow. I stood in front of the mirror, wondering about my reflection. The bandages were a stripe of white that contrasted with the coral of my undergarments. Rather than feeling bare, I felt freer of at least one constraint weighing on me. Everything else would take time or death. And in the end, death is also just a matter of time.

I lifted the bandages, surveying the residual damage. Kali's claw marks weren't distinct, given the range and intensity of the tearing. The skin was growing back slowly but surely, looking florid and certain now rather than a step above muscle.

I put the bandages back in place and leaned my arms on either side of the sink, bowing my head between them. Took a second to just breathe. I could feel it in my bones, the acceleration of the forces at work here. Deucalion's pack was closing in on Derek and Scott. The Darach was getting exactly what it desired. Everything was lined up on a cliff, about to dive headfirst into an endgame.

It was exhausting.

I pulled on the black lace shorts and wove my arms into the flannel, grounding myself and focusing on what was right in front of us. I swiped some eyeliner on my upper lids and red lipstick on my lips. War paint.

I might not have black magic and a pack of Alphas folded into paper origami shapes for my every whim, but what I had was enough to help tip the scales.

When I went back into the room, the boys were sitting at the foot of the bed, trying to keep their voices down. And failing. They dropped the conversation, however, when they noticed my entrance.

"You look…" Scott trailed off.

"Like you weren't mauled the other day." Isaac said, eyes appraising.

Scott checked him with his shoulder. "You look a lot more like yourself."

"Both so close-wait no, both were very, very far." I shook my head, amused. "But I almost appreciate the effort." I let my toiletries spill into the duffel and zipped it close, hefting it over my shoulder. "Ready to roll?"

I locked the door behind us, and checked out within ten minutes. It mostly consisted of a bored looking young man clicking through a slow computer system without a single care in the world.

When we got outside, the sky had darkened to an antagonizing gray.

"Looks like we've got another storm coming." Isaac noted.

"It doesn't rain this much usually, does it?" I asked.

"No." Scott shrugged. "But nothing's been normal around here for awhile."

Before I slipped into the backseat, Isaac gripped my hand. I looked down at it wordlessly, then up at him.

"For the pain." He explained.

I tilted my head. "My side's not bothering me."

"Another kind of pain." He said offhandedly, then took his seat riding shotgun.

I stared at my hand another moment, haunted by the ghost of his warmth. I looked at the back of his seat, but he and Scott were already off and running talking about who would win in a fight between Aquaman and Wolverine.

I resigned myself to gazing out the window at the promise of chaos in the sky. I hoped it wasn't an omen for our future.

But like I'd said earlier, hopes didn't really count in this game.


	19. More Bones in the Closet than Clothes

**A / N : tw : mildly macabre . Pinky swear more cute is on the way soon ~ ! One last big bit of backstory , and the main arc with the Darach 'll pick up . Thank you for all the support ~ ! ^ U ^ **

When we got to the apartment, Stiles was already there, having coffee in the common area with Cora and Derek.

"You look like hell." Cora said in lieu of a greeting. She didn't say it with much heat, though, which was an interesting change of pace.

"Excuse me if I don't look cover ready for Vogue." I said lightly. "I've been mauled recently, if you haven't heard."

"Do tell."

"How are you feeling?" Derek asked, shooting her a look before making eye contact with me.

I sank down into one of the empty seats across from him, crossing my legs before answering.

"A lot less like I'm dying, thanks to you." I appreciated that he had the presence to ask, especially since it was obvious that he wanted to know what went down with Deucalion. "I owe you."

"Noted." He said seriously.

I nodded. "Call in that favour wisely, and be careful what you wish for with it. I'm not a gracious faerie god wolf. I don't allow redos." Before he could respond, I went on. "Now, gather 'round the campfire kids, I've got a story to tell."

When I finished, I settled back leisurely as they took it all in.

"So you didn't really get anything out of Deucalion." Derek said, looking disgruntled.

I tilted my head. "I'm sorry, I forgot I was supposed to play twenty questions for your benefit." I said so crisply and offhand that he would be absolutely dense to not feel the warning in it. No matter how much his act of kindness endeared me to him, I felt we would always rattle each other's cages. "I was a little preoccupied with keeping my organs inside my body."

"Fair point." He returned.

"I thought so." I agreed. "So now what? I assume you're going to attempt demands on me, now that I'm in an insider position, precarious as it may be, with the Alpha pack."

"Like you said, I don't expect you can do much before killing your pack. Which, you know, isn't going to happen. But I can't help but think Deucalion will want a down payment."

"As in?"

"As in, I think he'll ask you to prove your investment by working against us. Maybe in a way that'll have _us_ preoccupied with keeping our organs inside our bodies."

"He won't have much of a chance. I told him I'm leaving town before the full moon. Which is in less than two weeks. I doubt he'll crunchtime his plans just to custom fit me for a trial by fire."

"So soon?" Isaac asked.

I shrugged. "I got what I came for. I'd leave sooner if I didn't have paperwork to forge."

"Remind me to get passes from you before you leave." Stiles said. I smiled.

"What exactly do you plan on doing from here?" Derek asked, eyes ever on the prize and the next move.

"I've been networking. I have a few connections with packs in Europe who are willing to take in a few of my wolves each." I paused. "Of course, my pack will take more convincing when the time comes, but they'll follow where I lead."

"They trust you enough to follow you outside of national borders and away from their families?" Cora asked skeptically.

"Yes." I said simply. "And in case you hadn't inferred, a lot of them didn't really have families to begin with, and if they did, Alaric cured them of that ailment right quick and in a hurry." There was a tightness to that word that didn't come close to matching the constricting venom Alaric had used. '_Ailment.' _

"Do you have a family?" Derek asked, not wavering. "There's no way to tiptoe around the question." He said, as an almost-apology.

"I have a plot in Crescent City Cemetery-" I said quietly.

There was a dead halfbeat of silence before Stiles couldn't help but burst out "_What?_"

"Stiles!" Derek said immediately.

He flushed crimson. "I'm so sorry." He said, turning back to me, chagrined. "I'm just. I'm sorry. It's shocking that he'd do that to your family to get you to…"

"I wasn't finished." I stopped him, raising three fingers airily. "And yeah, you should be shocked. Because he did that to a lot of my second family. I was one of the lucky ones."

"What?" Scott asked.

"I said I had a plot in the Cemetery. I never said who's in it." I let that hang in the air a moment before continuing. "I convinced Alaric that killing my family would be too much of a liability, given the older couple he'd killed last month and the woman he had killed three before that. I told him my little brother's face would stick with the media. That things would just be easier if I was written off as some teenager who got mixed up in all the wrong things and that led to her death. Has a bit of irony and poetry to it, doesn't it?" I smiled bleakly.

"You…faked your own death?" Isaac asked.

"That's awfully clever for someone who was in your position." Derek shook his head, torn between approval and disbelief.

"Like I said when we met. I was raised in the fire." I murmured.

"You said 'who's'." Cora noted.

"Hm?"

"You said 'who's' in the casket. So there is _someone _in your grave. Who is it?"

"Does it really matter?" I asked, knowing the answer, and hoping they did, too.

"Yes." Isaac said, jaw tight and throat tense, like he had to pull the syllable out of his lungs and between his teeth.

"Are you judging me?" I asked, and we both knew though I meant all of them, I also meant just him. Before anyone could speak, I continued. "The body belonged to a girl who died a few counties over. Evelyn Santario. I didn't kill her, and neither did Alaric, and that's all you need to know." I'd walked out on enough limbs for them, earning their trust by straight shooting a lot of my past. But I wasn't about to let them mainline all my secrets and pains and shames. This wasn't a reality show. This was survival.

The truth was, Evelyn Santario was a lot more than a borrowed body. I knew all I could learn about her from reading and watching news clips. I met her in my nightmares. Sometimes she was this mirror of me, with her similar dark hair and light sunkissed skin.

Sometimes she was something else. It was to my advantage I always saw her through the memory of my veil of tears.

Some had to kill to get in the pack. Some would say I got off lucky. But seeing as I'd ended up both a killer and someone who could, even if it was under extreme duress, bring themself to obliterate some innocent stranger's remains…

Well, maybe I turned out to be a lesser victim than I used to believe.

"So that's that." I closed the subject, shoving it all back into its compartments. "Now is there anything relevant to you and only you I can do for you, or am I done here?"

"Yes. I'd like you to give me a heads up if Deucalion or any of his pack contact you."

"Is this your favour?" I asked coyly. It was something I was planning on doing anyways, but I wouldn't pass up the chance to even the playing field again if I could.

"I was hoping you'd do it more as a…professional courtesy." Derek said.

I tilted my head. "Done." I sat up in my seat, expectant. "So. Do you have any news for me?"

He exchanged a glance with Stiles. "Yeah. Lydia texted Stiles a picture last night."

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "I'm happy for you?"

"_Not like that._" Both Stiles' and Derek's faces went a bit more russet, and I'm sure everyone else did, too.

"It's a picture of a symbol." Derek recovered, gesturing at Stiles. He took out his phone, punched in a few keys, and came to stand next to me, leaning so I could see the screen.

The photo was slightly _off, _like it'd been taken with shaky hands. It was of a section of wall, one crudely drawn on in what looked to be red crayon. There was a series of lapping shapes and numbers. I traced the image with my fingertips.

"Do you recognize it?" Derek asked.

"It looks like one of those petal graphs we did in pre-calc." I murmured. The numbers seemed very pointed. Three rings had a three scrawled in them, and one had a two. The center was blank. "Where did she find this?"

"She drew it." Stiles said gravely. "Said she woke up in the middle of the night with the crayon still in her hand. Thought it might be relevant to the Darach."

"I would say so." I glanced up at Derek. "Why don't you consult your emissary about this?"

"The situation's…strained." He looked surprised that I even knew about the druids. I wondered how he thought I got into contact with Deaton in the first place.

"Then we'll consult mine. Send the picture to me." I told Stiles.

"You have an emissary?" Scott asked.

"I'd be a fool not to." My phone rang. I checked the screen before picking up. "Slow down. Breathe. I've got you." I murmured. "Give me a second." I put my hand over the receiver more as a gesture of habit than usefulness. "I've got to walk. I'll be in touch with you later, Derek. And boys, I'll meet up with you back at the house."

I was alternatingly listening and murmuring all the way out the door.

"It's okay. Just let it out."

Somehow, I felt like I was telling him and me both.

_It's okay. Just let it out. _


	20. It's All Just Drops in the Ocean

**A / N : Semi – fluff to the rescue ~ !**

When I hung up, I was left feeling like I'd been abandoned on some shore to be washed away slowly with the tide.

It had been Andrew on the phone. He was our resident medic, and used to be a hot shot doctor before Alaric had a go at him. He'd recently completed therapy off the books so I'd allow him to jump back into the hospital scene. To be honest, counterintuitive as it may seem, I felt that putting others' lives back into his hands was the best way to anchor him in our new reality. And it had worked for the past three months.

Until today, when he experienced his second 'first' death of a patient.

There was absolutely nothing he could do, but of course that in turn did absolutely nothing to alleviate him of any of the pain and guilt.

I wandered around town, finding a deserted place in a park to settle down for a few hours while we talked. Most of it was listening, consoling, and wishing to every stationary star in the sky that I could be with him instead of being a thin voice over distant cell signals. When he finally calmed down and hung up, he sounded positively ancient. Weary and worn through. I told him to sleep, and told Cedric to have Lavi stand by for the next few nights.

Now that I was off the phone, I was no longer still. Instead, I tried to wander off the chaotic energy gnawing at my insides worse than Kali's claws and fangs ever could.

Eventually the sky darkened to the point of my mood, and I began the short trek back to Scott's. I was passing a storefront when a prick traveled up my spine. I slowed my pace, turned around. All I caught was myself in the glass. And then suddenly out of the corner of my peripherals I gleaned another figure. Its face was gnarled, marks engraved across it in a decidedly wicked fashion. There was an abrupt sensation of choking on water, but by the time I spun around, nothing was there. I looked back at the glass then, but it was empty except for my stark face and pale fingertips grasping my throat.

I was tensed to fight the whole way back.

When I finally got to Scott's house, there was a moment where I hovered at the door, not sure whether to knock or not. Then I shook my head and walked in like it was the most natural thing for me to be doing.

"Honeys, I'm home." I called sweetly as I walked into the living room.

"We're in the kitchen." Scott called back.

Isaac was leaning on the counter while Scott made macaroni and cheese on the stove. Something about the scene did twisty things to my stomach. It was just…homey.

"You've been out for awhile." Scott noted.

"Is everything okay?" Isaac asked.

That was always the question, though, wasn't it? The one question the universe would spiral into oblivion if I didn't answer correctly. And I always had to make sure I could answer 'yes'.

I ran a hand through my hair, and did a bouncy little sidestep, shifting my weight and avoiding eye contact. _Keep it together. _I was a little overwhelmed between Show and Tell, Andrew, and what I presumed to be my first glimpse of…well.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a little trouble in paradise back home." I smiled.

Isaac tilted his head, lips turned down as he appraised me, and the final result was the most disillusioned, unhappy look of concern I'd received in a very long while. Like he could see right through my front but decided to let me keep it. I wondered how often he had lied in the past to be able to get such good vision.

"Can't get a break, can you?" He asked.

"We should all co-author the memoir." I replied offhandedly.

"I'm not sure it'd be a bestseller. Maybe a good Hallmark movie." Scott said as he flipped the stove off. "You guys can eat whenever you want."

It was apparent the guys were really waiting for me to go first, which caused another unneeded layer of feelings. We all ate in the kitchen, swapping stories about past shenanigans. The atmosphere was so warm and bright, and so directed away from everything cold and dark going on in Beacon Hills and living in my past. It reinforced my decision to keep my paranormal encounter to myself.

The world only ever needed one Atlas at a time, after all.

While I rinsed out my bowl, Scott gave me the rundown on my temporary living arrangements.

"My mom said that you can go ahead and use her shower, since it's the only bathroom with girly shampoo. She set aside a towel for you already."

"That's sweet."

"And your bed's set up in the room across from mine."

I flipped the bowl over a dish rag so it could dry. "Isn't that Isaac's room?"

"It's yours, for however long you're here." Isaac said.

"This is your home, Isaac. I'll take the couch."

"And injure my pride by rejecting the heartfelt sacrifices I make in the name of hospitality?" He said.

"I'll show you the 'hospital' in 'hospitality' if you don't stop being so dramatic." I replied good-naturedly. "Keep your room. The living room 's more convenient, anyways, in case I have to come and go unexpectedly."

"And you think that's likely?"

"Sweetheart." I said, shaking my head. "My life is nothing if not coming and going unexpectedly." I turned and walked down the hall. I called back.

"I am, however, taking all the good sheets."

That night, I sat awake draped along the couch, thinking about all the ways this little escapade could turn out.

I closed my eyes against the ghost sensation of drowning, and wished that if any of my hopes actually counted, this would all end in a room full of stories and bowls of macaroni and cheese.


	21. Vitamin C

**A / N : I wonder what relevance this 'll have to the Darach c; **

The next morning I woke up to the absence of scratchy motel blankets and the lingering scent of halfsmoked cigarettes and if that wasn't a beautiful thing I didn't know what was.

I rolled off the couch and stretched, basking in the pale amber sunlight peeking in through the curtains for just a moment before reaching into my duffel and pulling out my vanity bag and clothes for the day.

I took a quick shower, smirking at the Lilac and Primrose bottle Scott had called 'girly shampoo'. When I was done, I lined my eyes quickly and glossed on some lip balm. I glowered at my hair in the mirror before resigning myself to blow-drying it.

Thirty minutes later, I was at a standstill between me and the little silver pill case on the sink.

"Don't be such a pansy." I muttered to myself, eyeing it distastefully. My emissary had been working on the contents for months leading up to my little quest. I poured two into the palm of my hand and spent a minute just gazing, tilting them as their opaque lavender shells caught the light.

Wolfsbane.

Among other fillers and herbal niceties. But what really mattered was the wolfsbane.

I'd started out with one every three days before I left. The first day, I fell unconscious. Then I learned a new definition for the word 'unpleasant'. Now I wondered what would happen since it was finally time to up the dosage.

I threw them back in one solid motion, knowing the longer I waited the worse it would seem.

I grasped the counter, waiting for the pills to take hold.

There was the initial burn, that chemical taste in the back of my palette. It was as if I'd sipped acid. I gritted my teeth.

And then nothing.

I examined my own reflection, surprised. I pulled on my eyelids gingerly, looked at the back of my throat.

Nothing.

Just as I was starting a slow smile, I began coughing.

_Why is it the only breaks I can get are broken bones, _I thought miserably.

My throat felt tight, and it was as if I was back at that storefront, gasping for air. Except a thousand times worse, because it was blood. I bent over, struggling, grasping the counter for support.

It was the absolute worst time for a knock to come at the door.

Which meant of course that was when it came.

"Ari." Isaac called. "We're leaving in five. Step it up if you're gonna ride with us."

I flexed my fingers frantically, not in a stellar position to verbalize a response.

"A—okay!" I managed. Another fit of wracking coughs overcame me, and I trailed off.

"Ari-?" Isaac asked. "Are you—are you alright in there?"

I tried my best to answer, but there was nothing I could do but cough up blood. The sink was a mess of the stuff. Ms. McCall was definitely gonna rethink letting me stay here. _Just keep it off the carpet._ I met my eyes in the mirror. A sweat had broken out, and blood ran in rivulets from the corner of my mouth, small tears of it coming from my eyes.

Well that was one hell of an adverse side effect.

"I'm coming in." Isaac said firmly.

I had no time to hide the worst of it. He came in and immediately rushed forward, eyes wide.

"What happened?"

"Stop freaking out." I said, wiping blood from my mouth as the coughing subsided. My fingers were slick with the stuff. "It's slowing."

"I'll stop freaking out when you stop bleeding from multiple orifices." He tilted my chin, examining the damage. I grimaced.

"It's really not that bad." I promised, voice raw. "Just go on, I'll walk to school."

"You'll be late. Not to mention, oh by the way, you might _die._"

"Please. Me and Death have a secret handshake. I'll slide."

He ignored me, reaching around me for a washcloth. I couldn't help but avert my gaze, too aware of his warmth. "Stop brushing me off."

I frowned. I didn't like being ordered around. But given how embarrassing the situation was already, I swallowed my pride. And got a disheartening taste of iron.

He ran the cloth under the tap for a few moments before turning to me. He made a soft move as if to start cleaning off the blood himself, but hesitated midmotion and passed the cloth to me. "Explain."

"This is so not cute." I muttered. "You weren't ever supposed to see me covered in any blood but that of my slain enemies."

"_Ari_."

"I'm taking wolfsbane pills." I said, exasperated.

"_What._"

"Yes. Wolfsbane. Pills." I said, rubbing furiously to remove the caking blood. "Once Deaton informed me of all the wolfsbane stunts being pulled here, I began to work towards building up a tolerance to the stuff. Even if it didn't come in handy here, I wanted to limit the amount of vulnerabilities I have."

"That doesn't mean you should cuddle with Kryptonite, Ari." Isaac said furiously. "Christ. You're not some kind of Avenger."

"I'm going to forgive the fact that you just crossed comic universes." He glowered. "This is actually good you know. The first few times I did it, my throat closed up and I went into convulsions."

"If you're in any situation where the silver lining is '_at least I didn't go into convulsions, _you need to get better hobbies." He shook his head. "And possibly therapy." He looked me over again, and I hoped he only thought my skin was flushed from scrubbing. "Definitely therapy."

"So judgy." I said lightly. I turned back to the mirror. I scrubbed away the last of the blood on my lips and paused before doing the same for my eyes. That had never happened before, and I didn't like it a single bit. "Feel free to go now. I'll just be another minute. Feel like I need to run a bath full of Germ-X." I wouldn't back down, but to be honest, I had an acute lack of desire to rinse out my mouth and cleanse the sink with Isaac hovering. That was a level of familiarity I wouldn't extend to anyone except Cedric.

"Fine." He said, disgruntled. "Warn a guy next time, will you?"

"Pinky swear. I'll even add a little emoji to the courtesy text."

He pushed away from the wall, equal parts angry and shaken. I grabbed his hand at the last second, staying him. He looked back, expectant. There were a lot of things I wanted to say, a lot of things I felt like saying, and a lot of things I _should _have said. But I said something barely more than nothing instead.

"Don't tell Scott about any of this."


	22. An Action Figure that Cracks like a Doll

**A / N : Sorry it 's taken so long to update ~ ! I recently went through two moves and have finished settling at university . Hopefully I can get back to quick updates soon ~ ! **

Isaac treated me with stony silence the whole car ride. Scott obviously picked up on it, but he shrugged it off. I couldn't do the same as easily.

I didn't like the cold shoulder.

The cold shoulder left no room for rapport, scathing, witty, or otherwise.

All it left room for was reflection, and I hadn't been fond of some of my angles for quite awhile.

That was cut short, though, when we got to school. When we split up to head to different classes, I became less concerned with ruining Isaac's vibes and more concerned with the shift in dynamics between me and the Alpha Pack. Between me and my pseudo almost pack.

Things were getting complicated.

Aiden approached me as I left English, and I smoothed the tension out of my shoulders before he saw.

"So you're part of the pack, now." He said unhappily. There was definitely a grudge in his voice. Good. It's not like I wanted to buy matching best friend rings with him, anyways.

"So I am."

"Don't think it's easy as that. You may have shed a little blood to make the going smoother, but you haven't done the half of what you need to prove yourself."

"Figured as much."

"Call me when you're done killing everyone you've protected this far. Call me when you're just sitting back numb as their blood cools and cakes around you. We'll see how you talk, then." His mouth was downturned. "You may run with us, Ari, but you are _not one_ of us."

"I _sincerely _hope not." I leveled him with a steady look. "Thanks for the Sparknotes."

I turned on my heel and left before he could try anything else to shake my resolve. Or at least, the resolve he suspected I didn't really have. Because he thought I was too weak. I scowled. He knew so little about me, he was practically in the negatives. But for me to come out of this with my heart still beating, it was better for him to think me a coward than a liar.

I was still simmering when I dropped into the chair next to Isaac in Chem. He didn't even look my way, and I was irked to the point of snapping.

"Are you through yet?" I asked heatedly. "Because the angry mime look suits you about as much as Derek in lace stockings."

He turned to look at me, then, eyes on fire despite the briefest show of horrified bewilderment. "'Am I through yet?' Yes. Yes, I am _extremely _through. Through with you showing up in town out of the blue and making everyone care about you and then on top of putting yourself in irrevocably dangerous situations, you test fate pulling stupid stunts like _poisoning yourself._ And then you have the nerve to brush me off like it's nothing."

"It's not like I asked for this. I didn't intend for any of you to care about me." I glowered, knowing I sounded like I wasn't even half my age.

"Well, for God's sake. As far as winning unwanted prizes go, this one's basically the lottery. We can't really afford to care about too many more people at the moment, if you hadn't noticed." He was looking at me steadily now, and I almost regretted he was talking to me again.

Looks like the mirror went both ways.

"Well if it sweetens the investment any, I kinda care about you guys, too." I mumbled begrudgingly.

"Kinda." He said bluntly.

"Okay _more _than kinda. But, damn, it's not like I wanna get down on one knee for any of you." I looked away, focusing on the notes I wasn't taking. When I looked back up, it was as if the wildfire that had started in Isaac's eyes had simmered down until there were only soft embers left.

And the moment my inner monologue began to sound like a badly written romance novel, I actually started taking notes.

About twenty minutes into the period, Ms. Blake, who was still subbing for Chem, called us to attention. We were doing a bloodtyping lab.

"Isn't this kind of old school?" One of the students asked.

"I don't design the curriculum." Ms. Blake threw up her hands. "It's not my first choice, but subs can't be choosers. If you feel like you'll faint, please do us all a favour and tap out of this one."

I raised my hand halfheartedly. "Do we have to do this if we already know our blood types?"

"Yes. It counts as a lab test, and I expect full participation. If possible." She added, as a few faces ran pale.

I sighed.

"What? Scared?" Isaac asked patronizingly, with a little smirk that told me we'd be alright.

"No." I said as the little tabs were passed around. "I was looking for a way to save you from once again proving yourself to be a prick." I winked.

He laughed despite himself. "You're only digging your hole deeper with horrible wordplay."

"Good thing I know how to climb."

When the bell finally rang, I made for the door quickly. Despite appearances, I was feeling flustered from every corner. Feeling pressure from my allies and my enemies alike, pouring down on me falsely-soft like taffy only to harden into cement. I felt trapped.

That was something I needed to solve and soon. I'd been proven to not do so well in cages.

The second I heard weighted plastic hit the ground, I dove for it.

Unfortunately, Ms. Blake, got there first.

"Wouldn't want to lose these." She shook the baggy, eyebrow raised. "What are the odds I'll regret it if I don't take these to the office?"

"Approximately zero. I've got papers for them." Ones that Cedric had forged. "I've got very specific deficiencies. They're supplements."

In a heartbeat, I caught the gazes of all the boys. Isaac's was somber, Scott's assessing, and Stiles was lightyears outside the loop but curious.

I kept my face sincere as I focused back in on Ms. Blake's. For a second something crossed her face as she examined the pills closely. It was so quick my vision hardly processed it, but my lungs tightened. I swallowed, hard, and chalked it up to a trick of the light. A very scary trick of the light.

"I'm giving you my vote of confidence, Ari." She firmly placed the bag in my outstretched hand. "You won't want to abuse that."

"Noted." I wanted to rush out, but that was as about as good as baring my throat, posturing wise.

It wasn't a good sign that even when I was outside in the midst of open air, I felt as if walls were collapsing in.


	23. Stuck on Repeat

The boys caught up to me after the last bell rang. Scott and Stiles came at me with a purpose, but Isaac took his time, striding leisurely. Because he already knew what they were coming for.

"So what was the deal before, between you and Ms. Blake?" Scott asked.

"Yeah are you a drug dealer, too, because part of me really appreciates how complex of a person you are, and then the other has a really naggy moral inclination." Stiles said.

"Slow down." I said, amusement and reluctance warring within. How many secrets was I even gonna be left with by the time I left this town? "I'm not a drug dealer."

"But you _don't _have any 'deficiencies'." Scott said evenly.

"Except, you know, a lack of a survival instinct." Isaac muttered.

I pointed a finger at him squarely. "Wow, first off, _rude._ Secondly, stop acting like everything I do is up for commentary. My reputation might be linked to a fictional character, but I am very, very _real _and last time I checked, I don't owe any of you anything."

They had the presence to look a bit guilty. Good.

"Fair enough." Scott asked. "Will you decide to let us in on it, then?"

I bit my lip absently, shifting my weight a bit while I thought. It didn't really matter so much, in the long run. They wouldn't use the information against me. I was just so tired of having to be an open storybook to gain their trust.

How big of a difference was it really if I told them just for the sake of telling them? I didn't know.

"Fine." I said, exasperated. "_This _is me confiding in you because I actually _like _you. Not because I want you in my corner. Remember that, because it'll be especially relevant in the coming week, I'm sure." I met Isaac's eyes and frowned. This felt like he was winning somehow, and I did not dig it in the least.

"Gotcha." Stiles nodded.

"I'm taking wolfsbane."

"You're…what. What is it you're doing?" Stiles asked blankly.

"Told you." Isaac said, leaning back against the wall, equal parts smug and unhappy.

"I." I pointed to myself, ignoring him. "Am taking wolfsbane."

"_Why?_" Scott looked duly horrified.

"Why would you ever think that's even slightly not a terrible idea?" Stiles asked.

"Simmer down. It's not like I'm sprinkling the stuff on sundaes. It isn't Sensa." I rolled my eyes. "I'm taking it in controlled doses, so I can build a tolerance to it. It seems to be a source of a lot of your problems here, and if I can work off any of my weaknesses, I will. I am."

"Well _okay _Ms. Will . I . Am., but what are you gonna do about it if, you know, it _kills you_? Oh wait, nothing! Because you'll be _dead._" Stiles shook his head in disbelief.

Scott cast him a reproving glance.

"I don't know." I said, applying sarcasm like a gloss. "Switch from hunts to haunts? Get into a few clubs for free? Put the 'boo' in boogie?"

"It's her choice." Scott shrugged. He turned to me. "Definitely not one I think you should be making, by the way. But it's really none of our business."

"_Thank _you." I was probably recklessly stoking the fire when I pointedly looked at Isaac, but. It wasn't hard for me to find it within to forgive myself.

"Just don't…don't go too far, okay?" Scott said quietly. "Don't make us step in. I don't think things can be the same after that."

I turned back to him, sobered. "Noted." I'd been saying that all day, but this time it wasn't flippant, it wasn't trying to get a rise. It was deathly serious.

"And _that _concludes today's episode of Days of Our Supernatural Lives." Stiles clapped his hands. "Team out."

Before we split off into separate cars, Stiles clapped me on the back. When I looked back at him, he gave me a tiny, quirked smile.

What mess had I gotten myself into with these people?

I was about to get into the car when Aiden and Ethan caught my eye. They were staring at me, bemused. Aiden lifted his chin and they turned, walking away. Clearly, I was being summoned.

I swung the door shut.

"What are you doing?" Isaac.

"Change of plans." I murmured. "See you at the house."

"You're not getting into anything, are you?"

"I won't be starting anything I can't finish." I said, knowing full well that wasn't an answer either of them wanted to hear. "But I won't get anything vital done if you're hovering."

"I don't like this." Isaac replied, short, bittersweet, and to the point.

"I know." I gave him the same sad, quirked smile Stiles had just given me. "I'll text you when I'm out of the wolf's den."

"So tell me, boys, what warrants the after school special?" I asked when I made it to Aiden and Ethan.

Aiden didn't waste any time trying to be coy.

"There's been a change of plans."

"As in, there's gonna be a change in your plans." Ethan commented, looking rather detached. I wondered where he really was.

"Is that so?"

"You planned on leaving before the full moon."

"Yeah. I know where I'm headed. What's the point in lingering around here? I've got a mass homicide to plan, if you weren't aware." I raised an eyebrow. I feel like it said something about me that I could say the words without breaking my façade. Whatever it said, it wasn't flattering.

"Exceedingly. Unfortunately, you'll have to figure that out on your own time later. Your permission slip's been revoked."

"What." I asked, low. I had been thinking that Deucalion wouldn't alter his plans to use me against Derek and the rest while I was still here. I was stupid to not guess he wouldn't have any qualms in altering mine.

"You've got a part to play this full moon. Baby's first run with the pack." Aiden smiled, then, and it was about as sweet as sulfuric acid. "Time to define all these blurred alliances."

"Consider it your down payment." Ethan added, looking at me with what could only be described as a very estranged relative to pity.

"What's the matter?" Aiden cheerfully asked as he examined the grimace that ruled my expression.

"Little Red's not opposed to spilling a little red, is she?"


	24. Circling the Drain

**A / N Ahh I get to write more of people being cuties and combatants soon :D . On another note , welcome to all the new followers , and thank you everybody for your continued support ^ U ^ .**

_Little Red isn't afraid of spilling a little red is she?_

_I'd kinda come to think that was your 'thing'._

Aiden's words were running laps in my mind, and had probably reached marathon status a few times over by the time I got back to Scott's.

Less than a minute after I was through the door, Isaac and Scott were on me.

"So what did the twins want?" Isaac asked.

"Nothing good." I muttered.

"Were they trying to shake you up?" Scott.

"Maybe. If so, they succeeded." I crossed around them, moving our party to the kitchen. I took a bottle of water out of the fridge and leaned on the counter, emotionally exhausted.

"What did they say?"

"It looks like I'll be staying in Beacon Hills longer than anticipated."

"You sound seriously unenthusiastic about the idea."

I took a sip of water, letting myself be riveted by the feel of it going down my throat. Wishing I was going someplace else, too. "Because the reason I'm staying is to bat for Deucalion's team on the full moon."

"I think I'm going to switch to Fox and stop asking you for the news, because it seems to get even worse day by day." Isaac said tightly.

"Did they hint at what your role is supposed to be?" Scott asked wearily.

"Well, Aiden was very pleased to insinuate that I would be required to go claw to claw with at least one of you. He didn't specify. They weren't really marching orders. More, I just got my leave of absence revoked."

"And will you? Fight us?"

I set the bottle on the counter, stalling as sunlight filtered through the clear liquid, looking much brighter than I felt. "I won't really have a choice, will I." Of course I had a choice. I just didn't want to make it. Because I would always choose what was best for my wolves, and it likely meant pulling apart whatever bonds had grown between me and everyone here.

"There's always a choice." Isaac said quietly. "Sometimes there just aren't any good ones."

"Fine." I swallowed. "Yes, I will fight. Because I have to keep up appearances long enough for my pack to reach safety. And I can swim through it to shore if I have to spill the blood of one of yours. But fifteen of mine…" I looked back at the water, shifting pure and clear in its prison. "I'll drown in it."

"Thank you for being straightforward." Scott said, swallowing hard.

"Of course." I knew they understood, that they weren't holding it against me. After all, I'd sought them out from the very start to let them know what I was about, what my priorities were, what I was willing to risk. What I was willing to do. And yet, I felt as bad or worse than if they were actually judging me. "I will, of course, give you a fighting chance. If it comes to death blows, it's up to you to take it."

"What are you saying?" Isaac asked.

"I'm _saying, _let's not go around stroking egos saying any of you could actually take me in combat. Derek included. It's going to take a lot of work on my part, but I can orchestrate a slip. A window for you. But when that time comes, you're going to have to take it. You'll have to mean it." I poured the rest of the water down the sink, watching it free itself down the drain. "But don't mean it too much, because I'd rather like to have my throat more or less intact at the night's end."

"You really think it's going to come down to that?" Scott asked.

"I really, truly do. Deucalion isn't playing any cute games of maximizing emotional trauma here. He's going straight for the jugular. And don't worry about me. I'll give you more than enough incentive to strike."

"You say that so flippantly." Isaac said colourlessly. "Are you really so comfortable with the idea of hurting us?"

I grimaced. "Don't ask stupid questions. Obviously not. But clearly if I don't step up to the plate, someone else will. And someone else isn't going to do everything in their power to make sure you survive. In fact, someone else will probably sleep even _better _for killing you." My fingers twitched at the counter, and I followed through with the motion, gripping it so it didn't get notice. The truth was it hurt that he would even hint that I was okay with any of this. As if it didn't make my heart skip beats and my teeth clench. It went against every fibre of my being. But my being didn't matter.

Some things you had to settle with words, others you had to settle with actions. Part of me wanted to just rough it out like we did occasionally back home. Fangs to fangs. Another part wanted to chase the past, wake up using him as a pillow, but this time, without the whole gore thing going on. Part of me wanted to scream, shout. To curse. Crush. Murmur.

I was in fragments over a boy I'd known less than a cycle of the moon, who was primarily made up of one liners and a questionable fashion sense.

Was my life an episode of Monster High or what.

"Fair enough." Scott said. "I'm assuming you're planning on letting everyone else in on this new development?"

"Ugh." I grimaced, this time from a much less wounded place, and a much more jaded one. "Yeah. Yeah, I have to. Which is not going to be fun. And will likely be rife with drama. God, I can already feel the impending monologues."

"You'll live." Scott rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Ok, fine, maybe, but I'll be washing hyperboles out of my hair for a week."

"So now what? Where do we go from here?" Isaac asked, effectively killing the atmosphere.

"I say put it off until tomorrow. We can pow-wow with everyone then. Let's just have one night." Scott suggested, looking worn.

I wanted to argue the point that whether we spoke aloud about it or not, it would be weighing on us just the same.

But that would be ultimately pointless.

So I nodded instead.

"Let's have a night, then."


	25. Only if For the Night

**A / N Fluff , fluff everywhere :3 ~ !**

"What do you mean you've never had a film night?" I asked, frowning.

"I mean, we've been kinda…_distracted_ with all the sacrificing and fighting and hunting and whatever else." Scott said. "Besides, we've never all just _hung out _together. It's not normal."

"Okay, so what you're telling me is, you have never ever all hung out together at the same time? Recreationally? No stake-outs or plotting? You're telling me, that it's more _normal _for you to be together trying to Scooby Doo _druid sacrifices _than to just be in the same room casually for a few hours?"

"Precisely." Isaac said, deadpan.

"That's just really, very tragic." I sighed, put out my hand. "Give me your phone."

"What?"

"I'm sure I didn't stutter." He raised an eyebrow. "Look." I said. "Hunting demons is nice and all, A plus really, but I promise popcorn is just as good for bonding. You don't have to be such overachievers."

"Who are you gonna call?" He asked, slipping his cell out of his pocket and pressing it into my outstretched hand gingerly.

"Ghostbusters." I said absently, scrolling through his contacts. "Stiles and the ladies. I figure Derek and Cora will be more grateful than anything if I leave them out of this."

Stiles picked up on the third ring.

We talked films for a few minutes before settling.

"Perfect." I said, beaming as I hung up.

"What did you two decide?" Scott asked.

"And why weren't we consulted?" Isaac asked.

"Stop being so whiny." I texted Lydia and Allison briefly, then passed the phone back to Isaac. "If you want to feel involved, you can have popcorn duty."

Stiles was the first to show up, brandishing a plastic dvd case as if it was Excalibur. "The day has come."

"What day?" Scott asked, smiling boyishly and looking bemused.

"The day." Stiles strode in dramatically, holding up a finger on one hand, pointing the case at him dramatically with the other. "The _day _that you finally watch Star Wars. Or at least the beginning."

Scott raised both eyebrows.

"All thanks," He continued, crossing the room and raising a palm to me. "To my lovely assistant. I knew there was something I liked about you besides the terrible wordplay."

I returned the hi-five happily. "Sci-five." I said somberly.

"This is going to be a _very _long night." Isaac muttered.

I grinned.

Lydia and Allison showed up together about twenty minutes later.

"I only came to critique the science." Lydia said airily as soon as she crossed the threshold.

Allison raised an eyebrow, waving as she trailed behind.

"There are a whole lot of people for a whole little of couch." She remarked.

"Pile on." I shrugged.

Once Stiles was done setting up the film, we all had our seats picked out. I'd dropped down to the left on one end of the couch, so I had Isaac in the corner and Stiles on my left. Scott was on the other side of Stiles. Allison was in the chair right next to him, close enough that their knees brushed. Lydia was perched on the arm of the chair, prim as a queen.

It was very…warm. Stiles and I kept watching their faces, calling them out when they didn't have the 'right' reactions, smiling when they surprised themselves. Lydia had a field day with deconstructing the technicalities behind everything. Allison commented on the weaponry every now and then.

"Wish I had one of _those._" She murmured as each new device came onscreen.

"Okay now I understand half the references you slip in everywhere." Scott said.

"Just wait until you watch all the other five." Stiles quipped. "Then you'll finally see me for even more the comedy genius than you already know."

I bumped him with my hip. "Humble."

"Believe me, that _was _him being humble." Isaac said, not without affection.

At the some point a domino effect of almost-snuggling happened, with Stiles leaning on me and me leaning on Isaac.

"Just let it happen." Stiles said when he rested some of his weight on me.

And I did.

It was like being with pack again.

By the time the film was over, the sky was an unsalvageable noir. As the lights went up, we shook ourselves from our many states of rest. Allison was the farthest off, nearly asleep. Scott roused her gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

There was some popcorn lying about, probably in the cushions, too, that at one point had been thrown around. It was definitely the best kind of wreckage.

Stiles clapped Scott on the back. "How does it feel, now that you've lost your Jedi virginity?"

"I'm a changed man." Scott said with an ironic little smile.

"So proud. So very, very proud." Stiles wiped away a pretend tear as made for the door. "We should do this again sometime soon."

"Yeah." Lydia agreed. "It was much less inaccurate than I remembered. But still pretty inaccurate." She added. "Count me in, though."

When everyone had left, we broke up for bed.

"That was a good idea." Scott granted as he turned to leave. "Thanks."

I dipped my chin in a modest nod.

"You did good, Ari." Isaac said.

I shrugged. "I try to use my mother henning for the forces of good."

"We'll work around this." Isaac said after moment of silence. "The full moon."

I gave him a pensive look. "Yeah. I don't doubt it." I patted him lightly on the cheek. "You haven't stopped thinking about this all night have you? Go sleep and let it and yourself rest. 'Cause I am."

That night I dreamt of full moons and lightsabres.

It was my dream, so of course I was stronger with the Force than Deucalion.


End file.
